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IN  THE  LAND   OF  ARARAT 


IN  THE  LAND  OF 
ARARAT 

A  SKETCH   OF  THE   LIFE  OF  MRS.   ELIZA- 
BETH   FREEMAN    BARROWS    USSHER, 
MISSIONARY  TO  TURKEY   AND  A 
MARTYR  OF  THE  GREAT  WAR 

BY 

JOHN   OTIS    BARROWS 

With  Introduction  by 
REV.  JAMES   L.   BARTON,  D.D. 

ILLUSTRATED 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Re  veil  Company 

London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  191 6,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  St.,  W. 
London :  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:     100    Princes    Street 


tlTo 

AMERICAN  SCHOOL-GIRLS 

WHO  DUBING   THEIR  DAYS   OF   STUDY  ABE   MOVED  BY 
ASPIBATIONS   TO   ATTAIN   TO  THE  HIGHEST 

Excellence  in  Character  and  Usefulness, 

THIS   VOLUME,    CONTAINING   SOME   GLIMPSES   OF   THE   LIFE 
OF  ONE  OF  THEIR   NUMBER, 

la  Inscribed 

BY  THE   AUTHOR. 


« 


3081049 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  power  of  a  devoted  life,  given  with- 
out reserve  to  the  service  of  God,  can 
not  be  measured  in  any  terms  used  by 
men.  When  that  life,  in  rendering  the  service 
to  which  it  has  consecrated  itself,  is  compelled 
to  face  conditions  which  lead  to  an  early  death, 
interest  in  it  and  influences  that  emanate  from 
it  are  vastly  multiplied.  Such  was  the  life  of 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Freeman  Barrows  Ussher,  born 
in  ancient  Cappadocia,  but,  after  early  child- 
hood, reared  in  the  Christian  atmosphere  of  a 
New  England  home,  refined,  educated,  devoted 
to  the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  Turkish  empire, 
called  upon  by  a  combination  of  circumstances 
connected  with  her  life  in  Turkey  to  face  un- 
usual hardships  and  perils  throughout  the 
larger  period  of  her  entire  missionary  service, 
and  yet  meeting  opportunities  for  service  as 
unusual  as  were  the  conditions  of  hardship  and 
peril. 

Mrs.  Ussher  was  one  of  the  many  who  were 
called  upon  to  meet  face  to  face  the  trials  in- 
cident upon  the  entrance  of  Turkey  into  the 
great  war,  and  growing  primarily  out  of  the 
traditional  hatred  existing  between  the  Turk 
7 


8  INTRODUCTION 

and  the  Armenian.  Throughout  it  all,  she  was 
the  same  hrave,  unselfish  little  woman  that  she 
had  revealed  herself  to  be  during  her  entire 
missionary  career.  In  the  midst  of  the  siege 
of  Van,  her  calm  performance  of  every  duty, 
her  quickness  to  discover  opportunities  of  ren- 
dering service  to  others,  was  an  inspiration  to 
all  her  associates,  and  was  a  revelation,  to  both 
Christian  and  Moslem,  of  the  Christ  who  ruled 
her  life. 

It  seems  to  us  to  be  an  inexplicable  provi- 
dence that  demanded  that  her  young  but  fruit- 
ful life  be  laid  upon  the  altar  of  God  so  near 
the  close  of  a  series  of  events  full  of  peril  to  all. 
It  is  a  providence  we  do  not  need  to  try  to  un- 
derstand, but  one  that  puts  new  emphasis  upon 
the  story  of  this  brave  and  consecrated  life,  so 
admirably  presented  in  this  little  volume  pre- 
pared by  the  devoted  father.  The  story  of  this 
life  is  not  only  a  demonstration  of  the  faith  and 
courage  and  triumph  of  one  who  gave  herself 
without  reserve  to  her  Lord,  but  it  carries  with 
it  an  inspiration  to  others  who  would  make  their 
lives  count  in  the  hard  places  of  the  world,  re- 
vealing the  opportunities  for  service  so  little 
grasped  by  those  who  live  in  the  comfort  and 
enjoy  the  privileges  of  a  great  free  country 
like  America.  One  can  not  read  this  volume 
without  raising  the  question  as  to  who  will 
take  up  the  task  and  carry  on  this  work  to 


INTRODUCTION  9 

its   inevitable   triumph.     In  the  language  of 
the  poet, 

"  He  who,  in  fealty  to  the  truth, 
And  counting  all  the  cost, 
Doth  consecrate  his  generous  youth — 
He  joins  the  noble  host. 

He  who,  with  calm,  undaunted  will. 

Ne'er  counts  the  battle  lost, 
But,  though  defeated,  battles  still — 

He  joins  the  faithful  host. 

He  who  is  ready  for  the  cross. 

The  cause  despised  loves  most, 
And  shuns  not  pain  or  shame  or  loss — 

He  joins  the  martyr  host. 

God's  trumpet  wakes  the  slumbering  world; 

Now  each  man  to  his  post! 
The  red-cross  banner  is  unfurled; 

We  join  the  glorious  host." 

JAMES  L.  BARTON. 


PREFACE 

IK  this  little  volume  I  have  attempted  to 
gather  up  some  of  the  salient  features  of 
the  life  of  my  daughter,  who,  in  Turkish 
Armenia,  in  the  summer  of  1915,  literally  gave 
herself,  and  all  that  was  dearest  to  herself,  in 
the  endeavour  to  save,  from  the  wretchedness 
of  death  by  starvation,  Mohammedan  mothers 
and  their  little  children,  gathered  in  crowds 
about  her  door.  And  this  in  the  hope  that 
others,  incited  by  the  spirit  of  her  example, 
may,  when  necessity  calls,  be  ready  to  under- 
take some  similar  work  for  suffering  humanity, 
even  though  they  must  face  perils  as  great  as 
were  hers.  Such  have  only  to  remember  that 
"  God  stands  within  the  shadow,  keeping  watch 
above  his  own." 

In  this  narrative  I  have  included  some 
things  which,  in  recalling  them,  have  some- 
times made  it  necessary  for  me  to  wait  till  the 
blur  should  pass  from  my  eyes.  That  one  of 
our  children,  who  had  been  together  for  so  long 
time  the  light  and  joy  of  our  home,  must  now 
be  left  in  a  lone,  unmarked  grave,  in  a  strange 
and  far-away  land — in  a  grave  on  which  no 
tear  of  affection  would  ever  fall — this  was  a 
11 


12  PREFACE 

thought  almost  unhearable.  But  the  truth  soon 
came  to  have  control.  She  was  not  there. 
Neither  had  she  flown  away,  millions  of  mil- 
lions of  miles,  "  beyond  the  stars."  It  is  prob- 
able that  the  eternal  life  of  the  spirit  is  not 
conditioned  by  what  we  now  call  "  here  "  and 
"  there." 

While  we  were  rejoicing  that  the  members 
of  the  Van  station  had  been  freed  from  the  ter- 
rors of  the  siege  and  their  relentless  foes,  and 
that  all,  as  we  supposed,  were  safe  and  well, 
suddenly  sad  news  came  to  the  American 
Board.  It  was  sent  to  us  by  telegraph,  and 
repeated  to  our  home  by  telephone.  Its  words 
were  few,  but  freighted  with  a  startling  mean- 
ing. In  slowly  measured  accents,  as  if  the 
speaker  at  the  end  of  the  line  was  fearing  to  tell 
us  what  she  knew,  she  at  last  gave  her  message : 
Mrs.  Ussher  had  entered  into  rest !  So  sudden 
was  the  blow  that  it  fell  with  well-nigh  crush- 
ing weight  upon  us  all;  but  especially  did  her 
older  sister  feel  it.  It  seemed  to  her  that  it 
must  not  be  so.  The  burden  became  so  great 
as  to  deprive  her  of  needed  sleep  and  rest.  But 
in  regard  to  an  experience  that  she  then  had, 
she  may  be  introduced,  and  so  speak  for  her- 
self. "  A  little  time  after  we  had  received  the 
news  of  my  sister's  death,  one  night,  when  I 
had  retired,  I  began  to  wonder,  with  a  feeling 
akin  to  rebellion,  why  this  cruel  war  should  be. 


PREFACE  13 

and  why  my  sister  must  be  taken  from  us, 
and  why  my  father  and  mother,  in  their  last 
days,  must  carry  such  a  burden  of  sorrow, 
when  suddenly  my  sister  herself  seemed  to  be 
close  beside  me!  She  looked  up,  but  oh,  so 
beautiful  she  was !  She  had  not  changed  in 
appearance  except  that  there  was  a  beauty 
which  is  not  of  this  world,  a  beauty  that 
neither  tongue  nor  pen  can  describe.  She  pro- 
nounced my  name  so  distinctly  that  it  startled 
me;  yet  I  was  so  awed  that  I  could  do  nothing 
but  just  lie  perfectly  quiet  and  listen.  She 
said :  '  You  are  grieving  for  me ;  don't  grieve. 
You  do  not  know  God's  plan ;  I  do.  I  can  see 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end;  you  can  not. 
There  is  a  veil  before  the  eyes  of  the  people 
on  your  earth;  they  can  not  now  see  what  the 
end  is  to  be.' 

"  She  then  spoke  my  name  again,  very  dis- 
tinctly, and  said :  '  You  are  grieving  for  my 
little  ones ;  don't  grieve.  I  know  all  about  my 
children,  and  I  am  happy.'  Then  with  a  look 
of  beauty  that  I  shall  never  forget  she  van- 
ished from  my  sight. 

"  My  sorrow  and  rebellious  feeling  entirely 
left  me,  and  a  great  peace  came  into  my  heart, 
so  that  in  a  few  minutes  I  fell  asleep,  and  I 
slept  all  night.  The  next  morning  I  could 
think  of  nothing  but  the  beautiful  vision,  and 
I  felt  like  singing  all  the  day. 


14  PREFACE 

"  I  am  sure  that  God  sent  my  sister  to  me  to 
comfort  me,  and  to  give  me  an  obedient,  trust- 
ful spirit — of  sweet  peace." 

I  have  now  related,  simply  and  truthfully,  a 
fact  of  experience  in  my  own  household.  I  do 
not  attempt  to  offer  any  explanation. 

I  suppose  the  reply  may  be  that  my  daughter 
was  asleep,  and  so  dreamed  what  she  has  re- 
lated. But  she  says  she  knows  whereof  she  af- 
firms, and  that  she  was  not  asleep. 

But  whatever  may  be  true  or  false  in  human 
experiences,  let  us  know  that  God  sits  on  his 
eternal  throne  of  love,  and  that,  trusting  in 
him,  we  are  safe. 

J.  O.  B. 
Norwich,  Conn. 


CONTENTS 

I.  Early  Days       .        .        .        .  19 
II.  In   the   New  England  Par- 
sonage       28 

III.  At  School  and  College       .  33 

IV.  The    Purpose    Tested;    the 

EiNAL  Decision     .      .        .48 

V.  Getting  to  Van     ...  60 

VI.  The  Marriage          ...  78 

VII.   The  Lace  Industry        .        .  85 

VIII.  Again  in  the  Homeland       .  90 

IX.   The  Eeturn  to  the  Field     .  100 

X.  In  the  Harness  Again           .  112 

XI.   Affected  by  the  Great  War  117 


XII.  The  Conflict 

XIII.  Faith  in  Exercise  . 

XIV.  "  But  I  Say  unto  You,  Love 

Your  Enemies  " 

XV.  The  Parting     . 

XVI.  Last  Days 

15 


126 
139 

144 
152 
157 


16  CONTENTS 

XVII.  The  Retuen  of  the  Enemy     164 

XVIII.    Is    THE    WOKK    OF    THE    ChEIS- 

TiAN  Ended  at  Death?      .     173 

XIX.  Was  It  Life  Theown  Away, 

OE  Achievement — Which?     180 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


The 


Class 


The  House  in  Cesarea  in  Which  Mrs 
Ussher  Was   Born     . 

Little  Lizzie  at  Two  Years 

Constantinople    . 

At  Fourteen  Years   . 

At  Graduation  from.  College — 
Prophecy     . 

The  Bosphorus  . 

Eev.  C.  D.  IJssher,  M.D.  . 

The  Four  Children  When  Introduced  to 
Their  Grandparents  at  Stonington 

■Mrs.  Ussher  after  the  Death  of  her  Little 
Girl     .... 

Mt.    Ararat 

Dr.  TJssher's  House  in  Van 


One  of  Poverty's  Young  Captives 
deemed 


Fleeing  from  Massacre     . 

Dr.  TJssher's  Later  Home 

Refugees  Waiting  for  Bread 

The  House  in  Which  Mrs.  Ussher  Died 


-Re- 


TACIKO 
PAQB 

Title 
20 
26 
30 

44 
54 
62 

62 

96 
102 
110 

114 
136 
140 
148 
162 


I 

EARLY  DATS 

IN  the  old  city  of  Kaiserieh,  or  Cesarea, 
the  ancient  Mazaca,  situated  at  the  foot 
of  Mt.  Argeus,  the  highest  land  in  Asia 
Minor,  there  had  been  for  some  years  the 
homes  of  a  little  band  of  American  men  and 
women.  These  had  chosen  to  spend  their  lives 
there  for  the  sake  of  the  good  they  might  thus 
do  to  the  people  around  about  them.  On  the 
20th  day  of  October,  1873,  a  babe  was  born 
into  this  missionary  circle.  It  was  named 
Elizabeth.  She  was  greeted  with  gladness  by 
all,  but  she  failed  to  appreciate  the  welcome 
given  her.  She  soon  began  to  cry,  and  she  con- 
tinued to  cry,  and  would  not  be  comforted.  It 
was  evident  that  her  circumstances  did  not  con- 
tribute to  her  enjoyment.  Or  else  her  internal 
condition  was  unsatisfactory. 

However  it  might  be,  it  seemed  as  if  she 

was  allowing  herself  to  cherish  ingratitude  for 

favours  received.    For  so  it  was  that  one  of  the 

missionaries,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Giles,  for  whom, 

19 


20        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

in  part,  the  baby  was  named,  took  the  little  new- 
comer to  her  great  loving  heart,  and  literally 
carried  her  in  her  bosom,  while,  for  long  pe- 
riods, she  woidd  walk  the  floor  of  her  room 
in  the  effort  to  impart  a  soothing  influence; 
but  often  with  indifferent  results.  At  the  same 
time  she  cared  for  her  own  little  fatherless  boy. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Farnsworth,  also,  were  ready  to 
lend  a  helping  hand.  Their  experience  in 
training  their  own  household  enabled  them  to 
render  assistance  to  others  in  that  wise  and 
gentle  way  which  makes  assistance  doubly  val- 
uable: and  this  they  were  ever  ready  to  do. 
What  they  had  done  for  their  own,  what  they 
could  accomplish  in  domestic  instruction,  has 
been  abundantly  demonstrated  in  the  honour- 
able record  of  the  "  Farnsworth  Children." 

In  addition  to  these,  so  capable  and  so  kind 
— senior  members  of  the  station — there  were 
others  whose  interest  in  the  welfare  of  their 
neighbours  was  unsurpassed.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bartlett  had  taught  their  only  child  to  regard 
service  rendered  to  others  as  the  highest  end 
of  living,  as  has  been  witnessed  in  her  self- 
denying  efforts  to  introducee  Christian  kinder- 
garten instruction  into  the  schools  of  Asia 
Minor.  There  was  also  Miss  Closson,  a  devoted 
and    successful    worker    among   women  j    and 


LITTLE     'LIZZIE    AT     TWO    YEARS 


EARLY  DAYS  21 

Miss  Griswold,  who  later  became  the  wife  of 
Dr.  H.  0.  Dwight  of  Constantinople,  and  the 
mother  of  a  missionary  now  in  the  field ;  also  of 
a  rising  young  writer  in  the  literary  world. 
Into  such  society  was  the  little  baby  bom,  and 
yet  she  failed  to  appreciate  the  favouring  cir- 
cumstances, and  continued  to  cry.  And  what 
was  a  still  more  serious  fault,  possibly,  she  took 
no  notice  of  good  Doctor  West,  who  had  come 
three  days'  journey  from  Sivas,  expressly  to 
welcome  her  into  the  world !  But  while  all 
this,  and  much  more  of  a  like  character,  must 
be  acknowledged,  it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  be 
able  to  say  that  Little  Lizzie, — as  she  began  to 
be  called, — after  many  days,  did  come  to  her- 
self, and  to  a  better  way  of  looking  upon  the 
world  of  which  she  constituted  so  minute  a 
portion.  From  this  time  the  evidence  of  ru- 
dimentary possibilities  of  gratitude,  and  of 
reciprocating  attachment  to  her  many  loving 
friends,  was  no  longer  wanting. 

When  she  was  two  years  old,  for  the  sake  of 
her  brother,  who  was  suffering  from  hip-joint 
disease,  and  who  had  found  the  severely  cold 
winters  of  Cesarea  to  aggravate  his  trouble,  it 
was  decided  by  the  mission  that  her  father  and 
mother  remove  to  Magnesia,  or  Manisa,  as  the 
place  is  often  called,  about  40  miles  inland  from 


22        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

Smyrna.  The  journey  was  by  the  way  of  the 
Black  Sea  and  Constantinople.  To  reach  the 
sea,  the  mother  and  her  lame  boy,  and  Lizzie, 
rode  in  a  sort  of  rude  palanquin,  supported  by 
the  backs  of  two  horses  instead  of  men's 
shoulders,  and  called  in  Turkish  by  the  euphoni- 
ous name  of  taktravahn.  This  contrivance 
could  furnish  a  fairly  comfortable  way  of  get- 
ting along;  but  on  rough  roads  and  on  steep 
mountain  sides  it  would  sometimes  subject  the 
passenger  to  an  excessive  amount  of  uncertain 
equilibrium.  The  two  children  enjoyed  the 
novelty  of  their  experience  more  keenly  than 
did  their  mother,  while  a  third  child  rode  with 
her  father  on  his  horse. 

The  stay  of  a  few  days  at  the  wonderful  Ot- 
toman Capital  was  made  very  pleasant  and  rest- 
ful by  the  thoughtfully  kind  men  and  women 
who  then  composed  the  missionary  circle  there. 
To  note  only  a  part  of  these  would  savour  of  in- 
vidious comparison — they  were  all  so  very  at- 
tentive to  the  wants  of  their  guests.  One,  how- 
ever, can  hardly  forbear  mentioning  the  venera- 
ble scholar,  Dr.  Elias  Riggs,  and  Mrs.  Riggs. 
To  make  their  acquaintance  was  to  make  one's 
life  happier  ever  afterwards.  And  thus  to  refer 
to  the  oldest  members  of  the  station  tempts  one 
to  turn  back  to  the  youngest.    She  had  just  been 


EARLY  DAYS  23 

brought  from  the  Eastern  Turkey  mission,  to  as- 
sist in  the  then  newly  organized  Home  School 
for  Girls  in  Scutari.  She  has  since  earned  an 
enviable  name  in  the  world  of  education  and 
Christian  culture. 

During  this  stay  in  Constantinople  little  Liz- 
zie had  her  first  picture  taken.  It  shows  the 
then  characteristic  timidity  of  the  child;  but, 
while  not  well  understanding  the  part  which 
she  was  to  take  in  the  process — to  keep  still — 
she  turned  the  eyes  of  her  forward  leaning  face 
upward.  This  fact  might  be  taken  as  prophetic 
of  her  after  life.  She  always  looked  up,  and 
never  down. 

Arriving  at  Manisa,  the  tired  travellers  re- 
ceived such  a  cordial  and  happy  greeting  that 
the  hardships  of  the  journey  were  soon  forgot- 
ten. Dr.  and  Mrs.  Bowen,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brooks,  Miss  Cull,  and  Miss  Powers  were  per- 
sons who  did  much  to  make  the  condition  of 
their  associates  pleasant  and  hopeful.  They 
possessed  in  an  eminent  degree  those  character- 
istics which  make  mission  stations  places  for 
the  cultivation  of  beautiful  and  abiding  friend- 
ships. This  is  one  reason  why  missionaries  are 
the  happiest  people  in  the  world. 

The  house  then  occupied  by  the  missionaries 
at  Manisa  had  once  been  the  home  of  the  ladies 


24.        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

of  a  Turkish  harem.  Its  spacious  hall  had  a 
very  smooth  marble  floor.  In  running  over  this, 
Lizzie  caught  many  a  fall.  And  usually  she 
would  pitch  forward,  striking  her  forehead. 
Her  head  seemed  to  be  too  heavy  for  her  body, 
and  with  small  feet  she  would  lose  her  balance. 
These  falls  were  so  serious  as  to  occasion  some 
concern.  In  one  or  two  places  the  bruises  caused 
the  skin  to  attach  itself  to  the  bone  beneath, 
and  thus  it  remained. 

The  little  girl  was  very  backward  in  learn- 
ing to  talk,  although  her  efforts  to  make  her 
own  dialect  intelligible  were  commendably  per- 
sistent. Her  father  remembers  well  how,  one 
hot  day  in  summer,  she  came  to  the  open  door 
of  his  study,  and,  dressed  in  her  little  white 
frock,  she  took  a  position  just  inside,  and  began 
making  a  great  variety  of  articulate  sounds,  and 
putting  in  all  the  appropriate  gestures;  yet  in 
this  formal  address  not  uttering  one  single  word 
that  could  be  understood.  She  was  listened 
to  with  very  great  interest,  and  her  effort  re- 
ceived deserved  applause. 

The  climate  of  Manisa  proved  favourable 
for  the  invalid  boy,  but  his  mother  could  not 
endure  the  heat  of  the  summer  there.  So  a 
second  removal  became  necessary;  this  time  it 
was  to  Constantinople.     A  home  was  found  in 


EARLY  DAYS  25 

one  of  the  suburbs  of  the  city  called  Beshik 
Tash.  Here  was  the  principal  summer  palace 
of  the  Sultan,  the  Yulduz  Kiosk.  The  views 
from  the  house  thus  secured  were  most  charm- 
ing. From  its  windows,  opening  towards  the 
Bosphorus,  the  eye  could  take  in,  at  one  sweep, 
a  large  part  of  the  Sea  of  Marmora,  with  its 
islands,  and  the  blue  hills  beyond;  while,  in 
the  nearer  view,  was  Seraglio  Point,  of  so  great 
historic  interest,  with  its  monuments  and  its  old 
palace  of  the  sultans,  reaching  out  into  the 
water.  On  the  opposite  shore  was  the  site  of 
ancient  Chalcedon,  famous  for  its  council,  and 
also  the  large  city  of  Scutari,  with  its  white 
houses  and  its  background  of  dark  cypress ;  then, 
farther  above,  were  green  hillsides  and  valleys, 
with  shady  walks  and  gardens  and  fountains, 
pretty  kiosks  and  little  palaces — places  of  sum- 
mer resort.  In  addition  to  all,  on  the  swift-flow- 
ing waters  at  one's  feet,  were  sailing  craft  of 
various  kinds,  while  in  the  harbour  below  ships 
with  the  flags  of  many  nations,  bearing  the  com- 
merce of  the  seas,  or  waiting  at  the  service  of 
the  ambassadors  to  the  Sublime  Porte.  This 
striking  panorama  ministered  to  the  daily  enjoy- 
ment of  the  missionary  family;  and  here  the 
little  girl  of  our  story,  we  may  be  sure,  began 
to  receive  impressions  that  could  not  be  wholly 


26        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

lost.  And  another  characteristic  of  this  mission- 
ary home  may  be  mentioned  as  possibly  having 
had  some  influence  in  the  mental  development 
of  the  children  of  the  household.  The  Sultan 
had  tv70  bands,  made  up  of  imported  musicians, 
•who  discoursed  fine  music  almost  every  day 
in  the  week;  these  were  sometimes  within  the 
palace,  but  more  often  seated  on  the  ground  be- 
tween the  palace  and  the  missionary  residence. 
This  music  had  a  peculiar  charm,  especially  as, 
on  a  warm  summer  evening,  it  would  come  in 
at  the  open  windows,  bidding  Morpheus  keep 
himself  at  a  little  distance,  although  he  might 
have  been  invited  to  come  at  about  that  time. 

Sometimes  Lizzie's  father  would  take  her 
with  him  when  he  went  to  the  city  by  the  ferry 
boat.  Her  hair  was  clipped  short,  and  her  dress 
was  not  greatly  unlike  that  worn  by  some  of  the 
little  boys  living  about  her.  So  it  not  infre- 
quently happened  that  the  dignified  Turks  on 
board  the  boat  would  call  the  little  "  boy  "  to 
themselves,  and  perhaps  entertain  "  him  "  with 
sweetmeats,  as  they  would  praise  the  beauty  of 
the  child.  Had  they  known  that  their  little  pet 
was  a  girl  their  praise  would  have  been  more 
scantily  bestowed. 

When  Lizzie  was  seven  years  old  her  father 
was   granted    a  furlough  of  a   year,   to   visit 


EARLY  DAYS  27 

America.  But  at  the  expiration  of  this  time, 
the  condition  of  the  lame  boy  demanding  seri- 
ous attention,  and  because  of  the  possibility  of 
improvement  through  a  course  of  treatment 
which  would  necessitate  constant  care  for  a  con- 
siderable time,  it  seemed  best  to  ask  for  dismis- 
sion from  the  Board.  This  was  granted.  Thus 
the  missionary  family  found  for  itself  a  home 
again  in  a  "New  England  parsonage.  Lizzie  was 
then  the  third  of  the  four  children  who  made 
that  home  bright  and  happy. 


II 

IN  THE  NEW  ENGLAND  PAESONAGE 

IF  we  regard  what  Nature  only  has  done  in 
providing  for  one's  self  a  home,  it  would  be 
diflScult  to  find  a  place  more  to  be  desired 
than  some  of  the  suburbs  of  the  city  of  Con- 
stantinople. But  however  much  a  place  in  one 
of  these  may  excel  in  remarkable  conditions,  in 
simple  material  loveliness,  there  is  in  home-mak- 
ing something  of  greater  importance  to  be  taken 
into  account.  And  even  the  highest  beauty, 
after  all,  can  not  arise  from  that  which  is  mate- 
rial only.  To  one  who  is  familiar  with  it,  the 
landscape  has  a  beauty  which  is  not  originally 
all  its  own.  It  has  been  imparted  to  it  through 
the  lives  of  those  who  have  been  associated  with 
it,  or  we  may  say,  bound  up  in  it.  The  man  re- 
turns to  the  old  homestead,  and  to  the  farm, 
where  he  was  born  and  was  brought  up.  It  may 
be  a  rough,  a  lonely,  an  unsightly  place,  but  it 
has  a  peculiar  charm  for  him.  If  it  has  a  degree 
of  natural  beauty,  so  much  more  does  he  love  the 
old  home.  But,  in  either  case,  there  is  an  at- 
28 


THE  NEW  ENGLAND  PARSONAGE       29 

tractiveness  to  him  which  is  not  material ;  it  is 
spiritual.  It  belongs  to  the  place  because  of 
the  lives  that  have  been  lived  there.  And  such 
a  beauty  attaches  to  many  of  the  homes  of  New 
England,  to  its  hills  and  its  valleys,  in  the 
thoughts  of  its  sons  and  its  sons'  sons.  It  was 
such  a  beauty,  added  to  the  natural  attractive- 
ness of  its  hills,  that  characterized  the  town 
of  Atkinson,  New  Hampshire,  when  our  Lizzie, 
at  the  age  of  eight  years,  was  brought  by  her 
parents  to  live  in  the  Congregational  parsonage. 
In  addition  to  the  loveliness  of  the  view  from 
the  heights,  overlooking  the  valley  of  the  Merri- 
mac,  and  the  serenity  of  their  atmosphere,  there 
was  a  beauty  and  a  purity  of  the  life  of  the 
place,  because  of  those  who  had  lived  there  be- 
fore, which  was  lacking  on  the  banks  of  the 
Bosphorus,  however  delightfully  charming  the 
works  of  simple  Nature  might  be  there.  The 
religious  atmosphere  of  Atkinson  had  a  salutary 
influence  upon  the  children  who  came  to  live 
in  it,  and  to  breathe  it.  The  lame  boy  had  made 
confession  of  his  Christian  faith  while  in  Con- 
stantinople ;  but  the  two  older  of  the  girls  were 
received  to  the  communion  of  the  church  while 
living  in  Atkinson.  Some  of  the  children  of 
the  parish  formed  a  little  praying  circle,  not 
technically  called  a  Christian  Endeavour  So- 


30        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

ciety — for  such  were  hardly  known  then — but 
it  was  in  the  best  sense  a  class  of  Christian  En- 
deavourers.  It  is  well  remembered  how  little 
Lizzie,  who  was  probably  the  youngest  of  them, 
would,  not  only  in  the  presence  of  her  own  cir- 
cle but  of  older  persons  as  well,  kneel  down  and 
offer  her  simple  prayer.  She  was  eleven  years 
old  when  received  into  the  church. 

But  now  another  removal  seemed  desirable. 
This  was  not  from  any  dissatisfaction  cherished 
by  either  minister  or  people.  The  parting  from 
the  kind,  true-hearted  Christians  of  Atkinson 
was  an  occasion  of  keen  regret — a  regret  which 
was  mutual.  The  new  home  was  at  ITewington, 
Connecticut.  Here  the  missionary  family  re- 
ceived manifestations  of  a  Christian  love  as 
true  and  tender  as  that  which  had  characterized 
the  people  whom  they  had  left.  Here  Lizzie  at- 
tended the  grammar  school,  taught  by  one  who 
had  the  happy  faculty  of  impressing  upon  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  her  pupils  something  of 
her  own  unselfish  love  to  all.  Erom  this  noble 
woman,  as  well  as  from  her  Sunday  school 
teacher,  the  young  girl  began  to  receive  impres- 
sions which  were  to  be  abiding.  Here  she  be- 
gan more  intelligently  to  lay  foundations  on 
wbich  she  raised  the  structure  of  her  after  life. 

And  we  would  notice,  first  of  all,  that  she  here 


ELIZABETH    FKEEMAN    BARROWS 
AT   FOURTEEN    YEARS 


THE  NEW  ENGLAND  PARSONAGE   31 

began  more  perceptibly  to  develop  an  unusual 
strength  of  will.  She  had  "  a  mind  of  her  own/' 
which  was  very  apparent  in  all  that  she  did.  On 
this  account  the  guiding  mind  of  her  mother 
did  not  always  gain  the  wished-for  point  of  at- 
tainment without  effort.  By  this  it  is  not  meant 
that  the  child  manifested  a  spirit  of  stubborn- 
ness in  any  bad  sense  of  the  word.  But  in  all 
matters  she  very  thoughtfully  "  made  up  her 
mind,"  and  it  was  very  hard  for  her  to  see,  some- 
times, that  the  "  making  up  "  of  her  parents' 
mind  should  take  precedence.  This  element  of 
her  disposition  was  manifest  even  in  what  we 
have  related  of  her  infancy.  Such  a  characteris- 
tic of  a  child's  inheritance  does  not  make  the 
guiding  work  of  the  parent,  in  leading  to  a  more 
complete  maturity  of  development,  an  easy  task, 
but  when  it  is  "  sanctified,"  and  so  "  made  fit 
for  the  Master's  use,"  it  makes  possible  an  after 
life  of  a  more  positive  character,  and  of  a  more 
enlarged  usefulness.  What  at  first  may  seem 
to  be  only  a  fault  comes  to  be  a  necessary  condi- 
tion of  a  preparation  for  the  best  attainment. 

Another  thing  which  we  may  notice  in  the 
growth  of  the  child's  life  among  the  good  peo- 
ple of  Newington,  was  the  kindling  in  her  heart 
of  an  unquenchable  desire  for  a  liberal  educa- 
tion.   She  was  permitted  by  her  parents  to  hope 


32        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

she  might  have  the  training  of  the  high  school, 
or  the  academy;  but  that  was  not  enough;  she 
looked  beyond  that.  The  full  college  course  was 
the  goal  of  her  desire.  And  although  she  could 
not  then  be  promised  the  means  of  its  attain- 
ment, she  ever  kept  her  purpose  in  mind ;  for  not 
a  moment  would  she  let  go  of  it.  So  with  this 
hope  she  entered  Mr.  Moody's  School  at  ISTorth- 
field,  in  1888,  when  she  was  nearly  fifteen  years 
of  age. 


Ill 

AT  SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE 

IT  was  a  great  event  in  the  life  of  Lizzie 
Barrows  when  she  entered  upon  a  course 
of  study  at  l^Torthfield  Seminary.  And 
from  this  time  on  we  must  speak  of  her  as 
"  Beth,"  for  so  her  schoolmates  began  to  call 
her.  But  perhaps  the  reader  will  here  ask, 
"  Why  should  we  not  have  come  at  once  to  her 
womanhood,  and  to  the  part  which  she  took 
in  the  world  of  Christian  thought  and  activity  ? 
We  find  nothing  of  very  peculiar  interest  in  her 
childhood.  She  appears  to  have  been  much  like 
other  little  children."  And  to  this  it  is  replied 
that  she  was  very  much  like  other  little  children. 
She  was  not  precocious  nor  wonderful.  It  is  true 
that  she  inherited  something  from  the  Pilgrim 
blood  that  once  flowed  in  the  veins  of  John 
Robinson  of  Leyden,  and  also  of  Governor  Brad- 
ford of  Colonial  fame ;  but  her  immediate  ances- 
tors, on  either  side  of  the  house,  were  plain 
people  who  had  little  to  recommend  them  ex- 
cept that  they  tried  to  live  honest  and  respect- 
33 


34        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

able  lives,  and  to  be,  if  possible,  a  good  and  not 
an  injury  to  their  neighbours  and  friends.  And 
she  herself  was  a  plain  little  girl,  with  some 
of  the  good  qualities,  and  some  of  the  faults, 
in  varying  proportions,  that  characterize  most 
other  little  girls.  And  indeed  it  is  on  this  very 
account  that  a  view  of  her  early  days  is  made 
to  constitute  a  part  of  the  picture  which  we  are 
attempting  to  draw.  It  is  of  this  picture  the 
background,  showing  that  the  more  mature  de- 
velopment of  her  after  life,  and  what  she  ac- 
complished, was  not  chiefly  from  any  inherited 
superiority,  but  because  the  life  of  God  came 
to  be  in  her  life  the  motive  power  of  all  notable 
achievement.  Her  life  was  no  longer  hers  alone. 
Into  it  there  was  transfused  somewhat  of  the 
divine.  So  it  was  that  there  came  to  be  in  her 
life  that  which  may  well  be  recorded  for  the  en- 
couragement of  such  as  aspire  to  the  highest 
achievements  in  Christian  service.  And  this 
new  life  into  which  she  entered  was  not  a  sud- 
denly imparted  gift,  once  for  all;  it  was  the 
energizing  force  behind  the  developing  activity, 
which  activity  had  a  natural  growth.  Yet  in 
the  truest  sense  it  was  divine.  It  was  in  and 
through  nature,  but  not  of  it.  It  began  in  her 
life  with  the  first  dawning  of  Christian  thought 
and  purpose.    When  she  was  so  ready  "  to  take 


AT  SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE        35 

her  part "  in  the  little  praying  circle  at  Atkin- 
son she  began  to  be  moved  by  this  divine  im- 
pulse. At  that  time,  however,  she  saw  but  a 
little  way  ahead,  and  her  childhood  was  not  per- 
fection. She  had  much  to  learn  if  she  would 
achieve.  And  the  three  years  at  Newington 
served,  in  some  good  degree,  to  clarify  her 
thought  and  to  strengthen  her  best  purposes. 
But  at  !N'orthfield  she  found  herself  in  a  new 
religious  world.  [N'ot,  indeed,  new  in  kind,  but 
in  depth  and  intensity,  and  of  enlarged  oppor- 
tunity in  "  the  practice  of  the  presence  of  God." 
The  influence  of  the  school  was  very  positively 
religious.  In  all  respects  it  would  be  of  the  best, 
but  in  its  religious  life  it  had  few  equals.  It 
set  before  the  girls  the  highest  ideals ;  and  these 
not  as  theories,  but  as  practical  possibilities.  As 
to  Beth,  however,  there  was  in  her  thought  one 
condition  of  their  highest  realization — she  must 
have  the  more  complete  training  of  the  college. 
Nothing  in  her  circumstances  could  then  give 
the  wished-for  promise  of  the  fulfilment  of  such 
hopes;  yet  she  cherished  them  just  the  same. 
And  in  addition  to  this,  she  could  not  shake  off 
the  feeling  of  obligation  to  accomplish  a  cer- 
tain thing  in  her  life  work;  and  she  was  sure 
that  obligation  and  opportunity  are  inseparably 
connected.    And  yet  no  good  end  is  ever  reached 


36        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

except  through  the  use  of  the  appropriate 
means.  So  she  chose  to  remain  an  extra  year  at 
Northfield  that  she  might  be  thoroughly  fitted 
for  her  college  course,  while  as  yet  no  college 
door  was  open  before  her,  to  the  north  or  the 
south,  to  the  east  or  the  west.  Only  her  faith 
remained  with  her.  On  her  graduation,  the  ob- 
ject of  her  ambition  seemed  no  nearer  than  be- 
fore. Yet  she  still  believed  some  college  would 
some  day  grant  her  admission.  So  she  returned 
to  her  father's  house — then  in  Stonington,  Con- 
necticut— and  engaged  in  teaching  a  district 
school.  At  the  end  of  the  year,  through  the  kind- 
ness of  a  friend  in  Newington,  she  was  made 
sure  of  such  assistance  as  enabled  her  to  enter 
The  Woman's  College  (now  Goucher  Collie)  in 
Baltimore.  This  friend  was  also  an  instructor 
in  the  College.  And  so  the  fond  dream  of  the 
years  began  to  be  realized.    This  was  in  1895. 

And  now  to  return  for  another  glance  at  her 
life  at  Northfield.  One  of  her  classmates 
writes : 

"  The  portrayal  of  the  life  of  a  beloved 
classmate  during  the  period  of  her  school  days 
proves  a  delicate  task,  but  one  well  worth  un- 
dertaking, if,  by  so  doing,  some  of  the  inspira- 
tion and  helpfulness  which  her  life  lent  to  those 


AT  SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE        37 

who  knew  her  best  can  be  passed  on  to  others 
of  earlier  or  later  years. 

"  '  Beth '  Barrows,  as  she  was  known  to  her 
schoolmates,  became  a  member  of  the  East  Hall 
family  in  1888.  Though  one  of  the  younger 
girls  of  a  large  group,  her  personality  stood  out 
with  cameo  clearness  and  possessed  a  winsome 
charm  which  it  is  difficult  to  describe.  She  was 
recognized  by  girls  and  teachers  as  gifted  with 
unusual  intellectual  endowments,  a  sunny  dis- 
position, and  unfailing  strength  of  purpose. 
*  Beth  ^  was  also  fun-loving,  but  her  fun  was 
pure  and  wholesome,  and  never  was  her  sense 
of  humour  tinged  with  even  a  suggestion  of 
unkindness.  The  source  of  her  strength  of  char- 
acter doubtless  lay  in  an  abiding  and  deep-rooted 
sincerity  of  spirit,  which  ever  imparted  to  her 
features  and  manner  the  gentle  dignity  so  sug- 
gestive of  true  worth. 

"  With  the  organization  of  the  class  of  1894 
opportunity  came  for  closer  association  with  her 
classmates,  and  at  the  beginning  of  her  senior 
year  she  was  elected  vice-president  of  her  class. 
Later  she  became  acting  president.  She  was 
also  closely  associated  with  the  Young  Woman's 
Christian  Association,  and  was  a  loyal  member 
of  the  Estey  Chorus. 

"  Prompted    by    early    training,    and    fore- 


38        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

warned  by  class  prophecy,  she  kept  in  mind 
the  hope  of  work  upon  the  foreign  field,  and 
after  leaving  the  Seminary  she  devoted  herself 
to  preparation  for  a  life  of  rare  usefulness. 
Her  own  high  ideals  of  Christian  womanhood 
produced  a  life  which  has  been  an  inspiration 
to  all  who  have  known  her,  and  particularly 
to  those  who  are  privileged  to  call  her  class- 
mate. We  shall  cherish  her  friendship  as  one 
of  earth's  choicest  gifts." 

Another  of  her  schoolmates  writes: 

"  I  did  not  know  Beth  at  all  until  her  senior 
year,  and  I  was  then  a  junior ;  but  notwithstand- 
ing we  were  separated  in  the  classroom,  we 
from  the  first  recognized  the  '  divine  affinity  of 
virtue  with  itself  '  which  drew  us  to  each  other. 
I  think  the  first  characteristic  which  impressed 
me,  and  which  continued  to  impress  me  through- 
out my  friendship  with  her,  was  her  absolute 
sincerity.  I  do  not  recall  a  single  false  or  err- 
ing note  in  all  her  intercourse  with  her  mates. 
In  the  next  place  I  would  mention  the  high 
moral  setting  of  her  simplest  word  and  deed, 
and  her  unselfish  appreciation  of  others.  An- 
other characteristic  was  her  serenity  of  spirit 
and  her  sweetness.    I  remember  the  cognomen 


AT  SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE        39 

given  her,  '  Sweet  Beth/  which  seemed  to  those 
who  knew  her  so  entirely  apropos.  But  this 
'  sweetness  '  was  never  insipidity.  Behind  it 
appeared  character,  unyielding  in  its  integrity, 
a  quiet  firmness  where  principle  was  involved, 
which  nothing  could  move.  We,  as  it  were,  un- 
consciously accepted  the  fact  that  she  was  never 
other  than  nohle,  fine,  and  dear.  The  word 
*  dear  '  just  expresses  it ;  she  was  that — always 
dear.  And  she  possessed  a  spirituality  that  at- 
tracted but  never  antagonized,  even  the  most  ir- 
religious, it  was  so  genuine  and  so  spontaneous. 
It  never  appeared  to  be  something  put  on,  but  in- 
herent, natural.  Her  missionary  spirit,  ever  in 
evidence,  was  as  a  beautiful  radiancy  that  il- 
luminated her  personality.  But,  with  it  all,  she 
was  sweetly  human.  There  was  nothing  stand- 
offish about  her;  no  attitude  of  superiority; 
just  a  dear,  happy-hearted  girl,  busy  as  a  bee, 
laughter-loving,  appreciating  a  good  joke,  and, 
in  her  quiet,  reserved  way,  deeply  loving.  And 
with  no  thought  of  envy,  we  all  loved  her.  We 
rejoiced  in  every  honour  or  preferment  that 
came  to  her  as  if  it  were  our  owq.  As  I  look 
back  over  those  dear  old  days  of  '93 — '94,  I 
think  of  Beth  as  a  fragrant  flower,  dainty, 
pure,  and  sweet.  She  moves  in  my  memory  like 
the  presence  of  the  dear  ones  in  the  family  that 


40        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

make  home  life  so  precious.  I  remember  her 
in  the  homely,  every-day  tasks  that  came  to  us 
all,  as  one  religiously  faithful ;  I  recall,  too,  the 
precious  bits  of  conversation  between  times. 
Once  when  we  were  in  the  laundry,  just  across 
from  each  other,  she  at  one  tub  and  I  at  an- 
other, she  spoke  of  her  hopes  for  the  future, 
of  her  eagerness  for  service  in  the  foreign  field, 
and  how  she  exclaimed,  '  O  Grace,  I  wish  I 
could  take  you  with  me ! '  And  then  we  talked 
of  college  plans,  for  it  was  our  dream  in  those 
days  to  go  to  college  together. 

"  At  commencement  Beth  invited  me  to  ac- 
company her  to  the  Senior  Reception.  I  remem- 
ber how  she  limped  all  the  way  on  her  poor  tired 
feet,  and  how  we  drew  closer  together  that  even- 
ing than  ever  before.  She  asked  me  to  write 
to  her,  and  so  began  the  correspondence  that 
has  covered  twenty-one  years  of  our  busy  lives. 
It  has  given  me  the  precious  heritage  of  her 
heart-warming  letters^  an  inspiration  and  an 
unmixed  joy." 

One  of  the  teachers  at  ISTorthfield  in  writing 
of  Beth  says : 

"  It  was  not  my  privilege  ever  to  see 
her,    as   she   and   her   family   were   here   dur- 


AT  SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE        41 

ing  my  furlough  year ;  but  well  do  I  recall  how 
much  influence  I  felt  she  must  have  had  in  the 
Seminary,  because  of  the  way  in  which  she  was 
remembered,  in  my  early  years,  in  the  school. 
We  feel  that  great  honour  has  come  to  North- 
field  through  her,  and  that  a  larger  responsibil- 
ity rests  upon  us  because  of  what  she  was 
and  did." 

From  these  words  from  I^orthfield  respecting 
one  of  its  students  the  spirit  and  aim  of  that  in- 
stitution can  be  clearly  seen.  A  high  moral  pur- 
pose has  ever  dominated  its  courses  of  instruc- 
tion. The  same  is  also  true  of  Goucher  Col- 
lege. And  yet  life  at  that  college  is,  in  some 
respects,  quite  different  from  that  in  the  pre- 
paratory school.  While  the  college  may  be  as 
truly  Christian,  its  students  can  not  be  expected 
to  bring  to  it  the  same  homogeneity  of  Chris- 
tian experience  as  that  which  is  characteristic 
of  the  girls  in  a  school  like  l^orthfield.  They 
come  from  places  and  communities  widely  sep- 
arated, a  considerable  portion  being  from  the 
Southern  states.  Many  of  them,  before  enter- 
ing college,  have  never  come  in  contact  with  the 
opinions,  and  the  supposedly  stricter  practices, 
of  persons  and  families  of  Puritan  descent  in 
New  England.    And,  in  their  thought,  the  chil- 


42        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

dren  of  Pilgrims  and  Puritans  belong  to  the 
same  general  family.  Beth  was  surely  one  of 
them.  She  made  no  effort  to  conceal  what  she 
believed,  and  her  practice  was  apparent  to  all. 
Yet  she  made  many  friends,  and  made  no 
enemies.  Whatever  she  believed,  her  religion, 
as  it  came  in  contact  with  her  associates,  was  a 
life,  and  not  a  bundle  of  doctrines.  It  was  not 
JSTorthfield  theology,  or  any  other  theology,  but 
the  carrying  out,  in  all  her  social  intercourse, 
the  putting  into  practice,  of  the  high  Christian 
ideals  which  permeate  the  very  atmosphere  of 
Northfield  Seminary.  There  is  no  one  who  does 
not,  who  must  not,  accept,  and  be  impressed  by, 
a  loving  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  others.  So 
it  was  that  Beth  won  her  way  to  the  hearts  of 
her  college  mates. 

And  here  it  must  be  said  that  she  herself  came 
to  accept  some  views  respecting  the  manner  in 
which  our  Holy  Scriptures  originated,  and  the 
literal  historicity  of  some  portions  of  them, 
which  were  not  in  accord  with  what  had  more 
often  been  taught  at  Northfield.  What  she  did 
continue  to  hold  to,  more  and  more  firmly,  and 
to  believe  in  more  implicitly,  was  the  Northfield 
practice  of  piety.  This  she  carried  with  her  to 
college,  this  she  brought  away.  This  could  not 
be  subject  to  change,  while  she  did  gladly  accept 


AT  SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE        43 

the  constructive  elements  of  a  reverent  criticism 
of  our  Bible.  This  in  no  way  impaired,  but 
rather  deepened  and  strengthened  her  faith  in 
the  one  great  truth  brought  to  mankind  in  the 
Christian  Scriptures — Jesus  Christ  the  Re- 
vealer  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  Mankind. 
One  of  her  college  classmates  says : 

"  Elizabeth  Barrows  entered  Goucher  College 
when  it  was  known  as  The  Woman's  College  of 
Baltimore  in  1895.  She  served  as  president  of 
the  junior  class,  and  then  was  elected  as  senior 
president,  an  honour  rarely  bestowed  at  Goucher, 
but  one  richly  deserved  by  her.  She  was  present 
at  the  tenth  reunion,  1909.  The  next  gathering 
of  the  class,  which  would  have  occurred  in  1914, 
was  postponed  because  she  was  to  come  home  on 
furlough  in  1916.  A  sad  reunion  this  will  be, 
but  the  memory  of  a  life  wholly  dedicated  to  up- 
lifting the  sad  and  weary,  will  shed  sweetness 
and  light  into  all  our  lives.  A  classmate  wrote 
recently,  '  What  a  privilege  for  all  of  us  in  '99 
to  have  felt  the  influence  of  Beth's  life ! '  She 
is  one  of  the  few  of  whom  we  may  say  that  to 
know  her  means  that  we  can  never  forget  the 
noble  purpose  to  which  her  life  was  devoted.  I 
am  reading  again  the  address  which,  as  senior 
president,  she  delivered  so  simply  and  naturally 


44»        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

on  that  Class  Day  of  '99 ;  and  I  can  hear  lier 
saying,  '  We  realize  that  it  is  the  multitude  of 
years  which  should  teach  wisdom,  yet  the  four 
within  these  college  walls  have  not  been  too  short 
to  impress  many  lifelong  lessons.  Stirring 
national  events  have  marked  our  course,  and  the 
distant  clash  of  arms  has  awakened  sympathetic 
echoes  in  our  secluded  world.  Whether  we  be- 
lieve in  territorial  expansion  or  not,  discussions 
of  these  questions  have  expanded  our  knowledge 
of  men  and  countries  little  known  before,  have 
given  us  an  insight  into  international  relations, 
and  have  taught  us  something  of  the  meaning 
of  the  "  White  Man's  Burden."  ' 

"  Little  did  we  then  dream  that  in  sixteen 
years  a  war  greater  than  any  known  in  his- 
tory would  shake  the  world;  and  that  our  Beth 
would  be  one  of  its  victims.  Near  the  close  of 
this  address  she  struck  the  keynote  of  high  pur- 
pose and  aspiration  which  marked  her  college 
life.  She  said :  '  We  have  learned  to  call  life 
not  a  comedy,  but  an  opportunity  to  him  who 
thinks;  not  a  tragedy,  but  a  joy  to  him  who 
feels.  If  we  are  beginning  to  think  more  truly 
and  to  feel  more  deeply,  it  is  not  because  we 
have  been  through  college,  but,  as  one  has  ex- 
pressed it,  because  the  college  has  been  through 
us.     We  do  not  educate  a  man  by  telling  him 


AT    GRADUATION    FROM    COLLEGE 
THE  CLASS  PROPHECY,  GOUCHER  COLLEGE,  MAY,  1899 


AT  SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE        45 

"what  he  knew  not,  but  by  making  him  what  he 
was  not,  and  what  he  will  remain  forever.' 

"  Every  word  rang  true.  The  classmates  of 
Elizabeth  Barrows  all  knew  that,  however  they 
might  differ  with  her  opinions  or  beliefs,  they 
might  pin  their  faith  to  her  sincerity  and  single- 
mindedness.  It  may  be  truly  said  of  her  that 
she  forever  '  followed  the  gleam.'  " 

Reporting  a  reunion  of  the  class  of  '99,  a 
member  writes: 

"  The  girls  of  Goucher,  '99,  stand  to- 
day with  heads  bowed  and  hearts  uplifted 
in  loving,  grateful  tribute  to  our  beloved 
President,  Elizabeth  Barrows  Ussher.  It  is  not 
easy  to  break  the  silence  of  sorrow.  But  to  all 
the  girls  of  Goucher  we  must  bear  the  message 
of  this  life,  so  rich  in  service  for  college,  for 
country,  for  the  Kingdom. 

"  In  the  life  of  Mrs.  Ussher,  our  Goucher  Col- 
lege, our  America,  has  laid  a  costly  sacrifice  on 
the  altars  of  human  liberty. 

"  The  life  that  counts  most  was  the  vision  that 
lured  Elizabeth  Barrows  to  her  difficult  work. 
Her  fitness  for  the  great  work  of  which  she 
dreamed,  her  classmates  felt,  not  as  setting  her 
apart  from  us,  but  as  fitting  her  most  rarely  to 


46       IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

share  the  lives  of  us  all.  Doubly  dear  was  this 
soul,  fragrant  with  the  warmth  of  a  rich  human- 
ity, and  with  the  divine  sweetness  of  prayer 
and  peace. 

"  Early  her  life  was  purposeful.  Wide  as 
were  her  interests  and  activities  in  her  college 
and  her  life-work,  there  early  came  to  her  the 
serenity  of  a  life  truly  unified  in  effort.  To 
this  power  of  leadership  the  class  of  '99  gave 
unique  recognition  in  choosing  her  President  in 
both  her  junior  and  senior  years. 

"  Said  a  great  man  whom  Baltimore  devoutly 
remembers : 

"  '  A  friend  is  the  one  who  summons  us 
to  our  best.'  So  to-day,  in  warm  and  loyal 
remembrance  of  our  loved  President,  we  would 
stand  reverently,  and  together  say,  '  Dear 
friend,  dear  captain,  your  friends  of  '99  hear 
anew  your  summons  to  the  life  that  counts  most, 
and  we  will  not  forget.'  " 

Another  Goucher  student  writes : 

"  It  has  been  truly  said  of  Mrs.  Ussher  that 
her  life  was  full  of  service,  full  of  peril,  full  of 
strength,  freely  and  cheerily  given  to  all  forms 
of  work  in  the  home,  in  the  hospital,  among  the 
poor.    Her  life  blesse4  and  made  better  the  lives 


AT  SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE        47 

of  those  she  touched.  Christianity  is  not  a  fail- 
ure so  long  as  it  can  produce  one  such  life  as 
hers.  In  deep  love  and  gratitude  we  pay  our 
tribute  of  appreciation  to  her  memory,  which 
will  live  a  pure,  white,  guiding  light  to  thou- 
sands to  whom  she  ministered." 


IV 


THE  PURPOSE  TESTED;  THE  PINAL 
DECISION 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  JOTIENET  TO  THE 
MISSION   FIELD 

SOMETIMES  a  purpose  to  pursue  a  cer- 
I  tain  course  in  the  future  is  severely  tested 
when  one  approaches  its  actual  realiza- 
tion. It  was  so  with  Beth  in  respect  to  her 
student-volunteer  pledge.  But  it  does  not  ap- 
pear that  she  for  a  moment  wavered.  Her 
thoughts  were  upon  work  in  the  foreign  field, 
and  her  whole  heart  was  there. 

And  yet  there  were  reasons  why  work  in  the 
homeland  might  properly  be  considered.  To 
some  of  her  friends  these  reasons  seemed  very 
weighty.  At  her  graduation,  her  record  showed 
very  commendable  proficiency  in  her  studies,  al- 
though in  the  acquisition  of  languages  she  was 
not  the  equal  of  many  of  her  mates.  As  when 
a  child  she  was  backward  in  learning  to  talk, 
so  in  after  years  it  was  not  easy  for  her  to  mas- 
48 


THE  PURPOSE  TESTED  49 

ter  a  new  tongue.  And  facility  in  this  must 
be  considered  in  regard  to  one's  adaptability 
for  work  in  a  foreign  land.  Also,  over  against 
Beth's  slowness  in  learning  to  speak  a  new 
language,  was  the  fact  that  she  had  acquired 
unusual  facility  in  the  use  of  her  pen.  Her 
correspondence  was  despatched  with  great  ease ; 
correct  composition,  with  pen  in  hand,  seemed 
to  be,  to  her,  almost  a  recreation.  For  the 
exercise  of  this  gift  a  wide  door  was  opened  be- 
fore her.  She  could  have  had  a  secretaryship  in 
The  Young  Women's  Christian  Association 
work.  Her  tact  in  dealing  with  young  girls  and 
her  influence  over  them  had  been  fully  demon- 
strated in  her  school  and  college  life.  Should 
she  not  continue  what  she  seemed  to  be  doing  so 
well  ?  Many  thought  so.  Even  her  father  was 
much  inclined  to  entertain  the  belief  that  she 
would  be  a  more  successful  worker  in  the  home- 
land than  among  peoples  of  other  tongues.  Yet 
he  would  put  no  obstacle  in  the  way  of  her 
free  choice. 

But  now  it  may  be  noticed  still  further  that 
the  strength  of  this  purpose  was  also  tested 
in  another  direction.  Beth  was  persistently 
urged  by  a  worthy  friend  to  make  a  home  for 
two  in  the  homeland.  To  this  entreaty  she 
turned  a  deaf  ear,  and  decided,  with  a  firm 


50        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

finality,  to  offer  herself  to  go  as  a  missionary 
to  the  land  of  her  birth.  She  was  naturally 
attracted  towards  this  particular  field  because 
in  it  her  parents  had  laboured,  and  she  also 
retained  some  slight  recollections  of  her  own 
early  home. 

She  knew  of  no  companion  for  the  journey 
who  would  go  with  her  farther  than  Constan- 
tinople. To  start  thus  for  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tant and  insecure  parts  of  the  Turkish  Em- 
pire, where  for  many  years  wandering  Kurds 
had  been  accustomed,  for  their  living,  to  rob 
and  murder  their  peaceful  neighbours,  neces- 
sitated, on  the  part  of  both  parents  and  child, 
a  faith  somewhat  akin  to  that 

"  which  will  not  shrink, 
Though  pressed  by  every  foe ; 
That  will  not  tremble  on  the  brink 
Of  any  earthly  woe." 

Had  the  young  missionary  been  leaving  her 
home  under  the  care  of  a  good  husband,  it  would 
have  been  comparatively  easy  for  her  parents 
to  say  good-by,  for  from  their  own  experience 
and  observation  on  the  mission  field  they  well 
knew  what  privations  and  hardships  a  single 
lady  must  sometimes  undergo,  notwithstanding 
all  the  assistance  that  her  associates,  with  most 
thoughtful  affection,  can  render.     So  Beth  left 


THE  PURPOSE  TESTED  51 

a  home  where  there  were  full  hearts  and  tear- 
ful eyes.  Her  father,  taking  her  to  the  rail- 
road station  at  Stonington,  watched  the  depart- 
ing train  till  it  had  rounded  the  curve,  and 
was  out  of  sight,  then  came  back  to  a  house 
which  had  an  air  of  peculiar  loneliness,  never 
perceived  by  him  before.  The  remaining  hours 
of  that  day  will  never  be  forgotten.  The  dear 
girl  had  done  much  to  make  it  a  happy  place. 
She  was  very  fond  of  Fanny  Crosby's  gospel 
songs  and  other  similar  hymns.  Very  often, 
of  a  Sabbath  afternoon,  seating  herself  at  the 
piano,  among  other  selections,  with  notes  so 
soft  and  sweet  she  would  sing: 

"  Some  day  the  silver  chord  will  break, 
And  I  no  more  as  now  shall  sing; 
But  oh,  the  joy  when  I  shall  wake 
Within  the  palace  of  the  King! 
And  I  shall  see  Him  face  to  face, 
And  tell  the  story  saved  by  grace !  " 

As  Beth  sailed  from  Boston  in  company  with 
missionaries  returning  to  Turkey,  the  voyage  by 
sea,  and  the  ride  by  rail,  while  uneventful,  were 
highly  enjoyed.  At  the  Ottoman  Capital  she 
could  recall  some  things  connected  with  her 
old  home,  and  the  place  where  she  once  played 
with  other  little  missionary  children.  Cross- 
ing the  Black  Sea,  she  was  favoured  with  a 


52        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

ride  in  a  carriage  from  Trebizond  up  over  the 
picturesque  hills  as  far  as  Erzroom.  When  as- 
cending these  far-reaching  slopes  the  view  be- 
came superb  in  an  eminent  degree.  Looking 
backward,  there  was  the  sea  with  its  long  coast- 
line, while  before  and  around  were  scenes  of  pe- 
culiar interest,  because  of  their  connection  with 
the  events  of  long  ago.  Here  it  was  that  Xeno- 
phon,  with  his  escaping  ten  thousand,  looked 
down  upon  the  waves  that  told  of  safety  and 
of  home.  Here,  too,  the  Greeks  had  their  col- 
onies, as  indicated  by  the  name  Erzroom,  the 
land  of  the  Romans,  as  the  Byzantine  Greeks 
were  called. 

With  this  glance  at  the  arrival  of  the  young 
missionary  at  her  native  land,  let  us  go  back 
to  her  own  story  of  these  days: 

"  We  now  soon  came  into  the  old  historic 
city  of  Constantino.  Memories  of  my  child- 
hood's days  came  rushing  back  to  me  while  I 
picked  my  way  through  its  dirty  streets,  and 
gay  bazaars,  or  floated  on  the  blue  Bosphorus 
in  the  graceful  caique,  which  gives  the  very 
poetry  of  motion.  I  understand  Turkish  words 
that  I  thought  I  had  entirely  forgotten.  It 
seemed  really  like  getting  home  again.  After 
five  days   in   Constantinople,  waiting  for  our 


1 


THE  PURPOSE  TESTED  63 

passports,  our  little  party, — which  included  two 
English  ladies,  going  to  work  for  the  orphans — 
boarded  a  Russian  steamer  and  we  again  turned 
our  faces  eastward.  We  were  thrilled  with  the 
novelty  and  the  beauty  of  the  picturesque  old 
capital,  with  the  sparkling  Bosphorus,  as  blue 
as  the  azure  above  it,  and  the  cypress  covered 
hillsides,  at  whose  feet,  and  lining  the  water's 
edge,  lay  the  stucco  palaces,  glistening  like  mar- 
ble in  the  sunlight. 

"  We  steamed  slowly  out  of  the  Golden  Horn, 
amid  all  kinds  of  craft,  from  the  Turkish  war- 
ships and  the  despatch  boats  of  the  ambassadors 
to  the  slender  caiques  darting  in  and  out  among 
them.  Scutari,  with  its  American  College  for 
Girls,  lay  at  our  right,  and  soon  we  passed  the 
Heights  of  Hissar,  crowned  by  the  old  round 
towers  built  by  the  Saracen  conquerors,  and 
the  buildings  of  Robert  College.  We  passed 
up  to  the  Black  Sea  between  hills  sloping  gently 
to  the  water  on  either  side,  and  possessing  a 
charm  and  a  beauty  peculiarly  their  own.  Then 
our  trip  of  three  days,  skirting  along  the  Asiatic 
coast,  to  Trebizond,  was  most  delightful.  The 
scenery  was  beautiful,  as  the  snow-capped 
mountains,  which  come  down  abruptly  to  the 
shore,  were  as  grand  in  the  bright  moonlight 
as  when  the  sun  shone  upon  them. 


54        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

"  Wharves  are  not  considered  necessary  in 
this  country,  and  so  when  we  came  into  the  har- 
bour of  Trebizond  it  was  two  hours  before  we 
could  land.  Mr.  Stapleton,  who  had  come  from 
Erzroom  to  meet  us,  was  soon  beside  our  ship, 
proffering  any  possible  assistance.  He  attended 
to  our  boxes,  seeing  that  they  were  safely  low- 
ered into  a  flat  barge,  which  was  threatened 
to  be  upset  by  a  swinging  ladder  on  one  side 
and  the  choppy  waves  on  the  other.  Finally 
we  were  rowed  ashore,  and  were  welcomed  with 
great  heartiness  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Parmelee, 
who  alone  represent  our  country  in  this  his- 
toric city. 

"  Two  days  were  spent  in  repacking  the  boxes 
which  were  opened  at  the  custom  house,  and  in 
preparing  for  our  journey  inland.  The  morn- 
ing of  November  21  dawned  warm  and  bright 
over  the  broad,  crescent-shaped  bay.  Its 
blue  expanse,  dotted  with  white  sails,  the 
red-tiled  roofs,  and  the  dark  green  trees, 
like  a  dash  of  colour  against  the  brown  rug- 
ged coast,  made  a  picture  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. 

"  Our  party  of  four,  with  our  wraps  and 
small  bundles,  packed  ourselves  into  a  clumsy, 
but  fairly  comfortable,  open  carriage,  having 
two   seats   facing  each   other,   and   drawn  by 


m   ^  ^ 


THE  PURPOSE  TESTED  55 

three  horses  abreast.  For  a  mile  we  followed 
the  shore,  then  turned  abruptly  south  through 
a  narrow  valley  shut  in  by  steep  hills.  Just 
here  we  met  a  man  returning  from  Van,  where, 
in  his  archeological  researches,  he  had  unearthed 
several  interesting  relics  of  the  stone  age,  and 
also  deciphered  many  hitherto  unreported  in- 
scriptions. 

"  It  was  hard  to  believe  it  was  winter,  for 
the  air  was  balmy,  and  near  the  little  brook 
which  we  followed,  we  could  see  dandelions, 
and  English  daisies,  and  now  and  then  a  butter- 
cup. Where  the  ground  could  be  tilled  every 
inch  was  improved.  At  times  little  oxen  were 
seen  plowing  on  such  steep  places  that  it  seemed 
as  if  the  rude  wooden  plows  would  pull  them 
over. 

"  Our  first  stopping  place  was  a  little  village 
snuggled  in  at  the  foot  of  a  high  hill,  and 
near  a  roaring  mountain  brook.  Our  khan, 
which  was  built  almost  over  the  water,  was  too 
near  Greek  civilization  to  be  a  fair  specimen 
of  Turkish  hotels.  Our  room,  which  we  cur- 
tained into  two  apartments,  boasted  of  an  iron 
bedstead,  a  table,  and  a  mirror.  With  our  own 
bedding,  food,  and  lights,  we  were  comfort- 
able. We  had  not  had,  however,  sufficient  ex- 
perience of  the  thinking  and  the  ways  of  a 


56        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

strange  people  to  be  properly  charitable  in  our 
comparisons  and  contrasts. 

"  The  next  morning  we  had  our  breakfast, 
washed  our  dishes,  packed  our  road  outfit,  had 
a  few  minutes  of  quiet  with  the  Master,  and 
were  ready  to  start  at  7  A.  M.  Now  the  air 
gradually  grew  cooler,  and  we  perceived  that 
we  were  on  an  ascending  grade;  the  valley  be- 
gan to  appear  very  far  below  us.  After  our 
noon  lunch,  while  our  horses  were  resting,  we 
visited  a  tiny  Greek  chapel,  built  of  heavy  stones 
and  ornamented  with  rude  paintings.  The  old 
sexton  tried  to  explain  the  various  symbols. 
He  showed  us  an  ancient  illustrated  Bible,  writ- 
ten in  characters  not  now  understood  by  modern 
Greeks. 

"  The  next  day  brought  us  to  the  top  of  the 
lower  of  the  two  mountain  ranges  on  our  route. 
The  panorama  of  the  mountain  peaks  above 
and  below  the  clouds,  green  at  their  feet  and 
crowned  with  snow,  and  the  ever  varying  shades 
of  colour  of  the  gorges  between,  was  entrancing 
in  its  beauty.  The  ride  down  the  mountain 
was  exciting,  as  the  road  was  badly  washed 
from  a  recent  rain,  and  the  driver  seemed  to 
delight  in  seeing  how  near  he  could  go  to  the 
edge  without  tipping  us  all  out  upon  the  rocks 
below.    But  notwithstanding  the  rocks  and  the 


THE  PURPOSE  TESTED  57 

■washouts  we  were  not  upset,  and  did  not  have 
to  get  out  and  walk.  As  we  all  enjoyed  sing- 
ing, we  made  the  hills  fairly  ring  with  our 
songs,  from  church  hymns  to  the  latest  war 
jingles.  We  played  thought  games,  told  stories, 
and  had  a  jolly  good  time  generally.  The  fol- 
lowing day  we  were  in  the  valley  again,  in  the 
midst  of  orchards  which  supply  the  whole  prov- 
ince with  their  '  silver  fruit.'  Plane  and  pop- 
lar trees  now  took  the  place  of  the  evergreens 
of  the  mountains. 

"  The  following  night  brought  us  to  Baibourt, 
the  largest  place  between  Trebizond  and 
Erzroom.  Here  we  were  entertained  by  a  Prot- 
estant family,  whose  wealth  had  been  a  temp- 
tation to  the  marauding  Kurds  a  few  years  ago. 
The  family,  numbering  about  25,  came  in  to  see 
the  strange  hat-wearers,  while  the  new-comers 
tried  hard  to  look  intelligent  and  to  appear  en- 
tertained. After  coffee  and  tea,  and  then  cof- 
fee again,  had  been  served,  we  sat  with  the 
men  on  the  floor  around  a  low  table,  while  the 
women  of  the  family  stood  at  a  respectful  dis- 
tance. The  courses  of  lemon  and  vermicelli 
soup,  roast  mutton,  of  apricots,  of  stewed  mut- 
ton and  pilaf,  were  brought  on  one  at  a  time, 
and  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  table,  to  which 
we  were  expected  to  reach  with  our  large  wooden 


58        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

spoons.    Thick  slices  of  dark  bread  heaped  with 
stringed  cheese  took  the  place  of  plates. 

"  At  night  our  bed  consisted  of  a  thick  quilt 
for  a  mattress,  and  another,  with  a  sheet  sewed 
on  it,  for  a  covering.  The  next  morning  we 
were  escorted  to  the  khan,  where  our  baggage 
had  remained,  by  all  the  male  members  of 
the  family. 

"  We  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention,  as 
foreigners  are  a  rarity  in  this  city.  Remarks 
upon  our  personal  appearance,  as  well  as  our 
belongings,  were  not  wanting, 

"  Now  began  our  ascent  of  the  second  and 
most  difficult  range  of  mountains.  After  a 
steady  pull  of  several  hours  we  stopped  at  Cope 
Khan,  where  we  slept  a  little  and  shivered  more, 
as  the  wind  was  not  bashful  about  finding  a  way 
through  a  hole  in  the  oiled  paper  of  our  window. 
iWhile  our  room  was  being  warmed  we  sat  in 
the  coffee  room,  filled  with  Turks  and  tobacco 
smoke.  One  young  soldier  fell  into  conversation 
about  the  Transvaal  war.  To  be  in  an  old  khan, 
miles  away  from  any  civilization,  talking  with 
a  Turk,  in  French,  about  English  policies,  was 
a  novel  experience. 

"  The  cold  night  was  prophetic  of  what  we 
were  to  experience  the  next  day,  for  now  we 
were  near  the  top  of  Cope  Dagh,  the  highest 


THE  PURPOSE  TESTED  59 

peak  of  all.  Soon  after  starting  we  were  caught 
in  the  clutches  of  a  genuine  blizzard,  and  for  a 
little  time  the  cold  was  intense.  The  snow  had 
badly  drifted,  filling  the  already  narrow,  twist- 
ing path  to  the  point  of  danger.  To  add  to  the 
difficulty,  we  met,  on  the  very  crest  of  the  moun- 
tain, a  long  caravan  of  frightened  camels.  Many 
of  these  had  broken  loose  from  the  ropes  which 
had  held  them  in  bunches  of  eighteen,  and  some 
had  fallen  over  the  steep  declivity,  with  their 
loads,  there  to  perish  in  the  cold.  But  our  wiry 
horses  struggled  through  the  drifts,  and  in  two 
hours  we  were  in  quite  another  climate,  with  all 
danger  passed.  Our  baggage,  however,  was  two 
days  in  getting  through. 

"  From  this  point  until  we  reached  Erzroom, 
our  route  lay  over  rolling,  treeless  plains  and 
low  hills,  interesting  for  the  many  shades  of  soil, 
indicating  volcanic  origin.  At  our  last  khan,  six 
miles  out  of  the  city,  we  were  met  by  the  ladies 
of  the  station,  who  gave  us  a  royal  welcome. 
Soon  we  had  crossed  the  Erzroom  plain,  to  the 
city;  were  within  the  walls,  and  at  the  mission- 
ary home.  Our  week's  interesting  and  delight- 
ful trip  was  at  an  end." 


V 

GETTING  TO  VAK 

THE  preparation  for  the  journey  of  a  lady 
missionary  from  America  to  the  interior 
of  Turkey,  as  we  have  already  seen,  is 
not  all  made  at  one  end  of  the  line.  But  the 
preparation  to  go  from  the  Black  Sea  as  far 
as  to  Erzroom  is  only  the  introduction  to  the 
book:  the  larger,  and  the  more  complete  treat- 
ment of  the  subject  is  beyond.  The  anticipa- 
tion and  the  reality  may  be  very  different.  To 
one  who  has  never  visited  the  East  the  setting 
out  is  alluring.  With  each  passing  day  the 
attraction  of  what  is  before  one  increases.  An- 
ticipated experiences  are  of  a  most  interesting 
character.  The  lands  of  classic  and  sacred 
studies  are  soon  to  be  seen.  Approaching  the 
great  Mohammedan  city,  the  view  will  not  be 
disappointing.  If  it  chances  to  be  on  a  pleasant 
morning,  when  the  rising  sun  is  lighting  up  the 
minarets  on  its  seven  hills,  the  beholder  will 
surely  exclaim :  *'  The  half  has  never  been  told 
me." 

60 


GETTING  TO  VAN  61 

But  the  last  part  of  the  journey, — i.  une  hun- 
dreds of  miles  inland, — will  prove  to  e  a  very 
different  affair.  It  will  have  its  sti  mge,  its 
almost  irresistible,  attractions,  but  its  hard- 
ships, and  its  possible  dangers,  too.  And  for 
this  part  of  the  way,  whatever  preparation  may 
have  been  made  before  leaving  America,  there 
must  be  assistance  coming  from  the  place  which 
is  to  be  reached. 

When  the  missionaries  at  this  station  learn 
that  a  new  lady  assistant  is  expected  to  be  at 
the  coast  at  a  certain  time,  then  an  escort  must 
be  selected,  and  special  provision  made  for  her 
safety  and  comfort  on  the  way.  Whatever  work 
may  be  in  hand,  to  meet  the  newcomer  must  now 
take  precedence.  One  of  the  missionaries  must 
not  only  be  fitted  out  with  all  things  necessary 
for  the  trip,  but  he  must  have  at  least  one  as- 
sistant, who  may  also  be  a  guide  in  finding  the 
way.  In  some  cases  it  is  necessary  to  ask  the 
government  for  a  kind  of  policeman,  who  will 
make  a  show  of  armor,  if  not  of  courage.  One 
extra  horse  must  be  taken  along  for  the  ex- 
pected lady  to  ride,  and  a  pack  horse,  to  carry, 
among  other  things,  a  little  cot  bed  able  to  raise 
the  sleeper  above  the  reach  of  certain  small  com- 
panions, which  will  be  sure  to  proffer  their  as- 
sistance when  not  needed.    Some  food  must  also 


62        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

be  taken  for  the  return;  for  however  much  the 
missions  y  may  have  become  accustomed  to  the 
food  "wb  ch  can  be  procured  upon  the  road,  the 
newly  arrived  can  hardly  be  expected  imme- 
diately to  cultivate  a  very  strong  desire  for  it. 
The  ways  of  living  among  a  strange  people  must 
be  learned  gradually.  In  fine,  it  must  be  said 
that  the  uninitiated  traveller  in  the  interior  of 
Turkey  must  carry  a  large  share  of  his  hotel  ac- 
commodations with  him.  And  what  he  can  not 
thus  carry  he  often  learns  are  not  among  the 
optionals  of  his  journey.  He  finds  his  choices 
seriously  limited  by  circumstances. 

When  news  came  to  Van  that  Miss  Elizabeth 
Barrows  was  on  her  way  from  America,  and 
was  expected  to  be  at  Erzroom  at  a  certain  time. 
Doctor  Ussher,  a  young  physician,  who  had  been 
at  Van  but  a  short  time,  was  fitted  out  and 
despatched  to  meet  her  and  bring  her  on.  He 
arrived  at  Erzroom  a  little  time  after  his  ex- 
pected fair  companion.  But  he  prayed  that  he 
might  not  be  long  delayed,  for  it  was  already 
late  in  the  autumn,  at  which  season  travelling 
in  Turkey  can  not  be  so  hopefully  undertaken. 

Accompanying  Miss  Barrows  was  one  of  the 
two  English  ladies  that  had  come  with  her  to 
Erzroom,  and  who  was  also  on  her  way  to  Van, 
to  assist  in  caring  for  the  orphans  that  had  been 


REV.     C.    D.     USSIIER,     ]M.D. 


GETTING  TO  VAN  63 

left  alive  after  the  wholesale  massacre  of  Ar- 
menians five  years  before.  iN'ow,  however,  un- 
expected hindrances  arose.  We  say  "  un- 
expected," but  such  a  word  can  properly  be 
used  only  in  respect  to  those  who  have  had  no 
experience  of  travelling  in  Turkey.  Those  who 
have  had  such  experience,  always  expect  hin- 
drances, and  if  they  do  not  meet  them  they  feel 
like  giving  thanks  for  special  mercies.  On  this 
occasion  the  Turkish  Government,  in  its 
"  watchful  waiting,"  (the  "  waiting "  is  con- 
tinuous, the  "  watchful  "  spasmodic)  objected 
to  the  plan  of  the  woman  from  England,  to  pro- 
ceed further  into  their  territory,  thinking  she 
might  be  connected  with  some  bad  committee. 
In  official  circles  the  word  "  committee  "  came 
to  signify  some  revolutionary  organization,  and 
so  to  excite  suspicion.  It  happened  to  occur  in 
a  telegram  sent  from  Constantinople  to 
Erzroom. 

As  the  young  missionary  from  America  had 
fallen  into  the  companionship  of  the  English! 
lady,  the  shadow  of  imperial  authority  had 
fallen  upon  them  both.  They  were  forbidden 
to  go  on  from  Erzroom,  so  Dr.  Ussher  seemed 
likely  to  fail  in  his  mission  unless  something 
unusual  could  be  done.  But  he  was  not  the 
man  to  give  up. 


64        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

At  this  time  Sultan  Abdul  Hamid  was  ex- 
ceedingly suspicious  of  foreigners,  thinking  they 
might  have  some  relation  to  secret  organizations 
within  his  dominions.  So  when  a  telegram 
came  from  an  Armenian  Relief  Society  in  Eng- 
land concerning  two  ladies  that  they  were  send- 
ing to  Turkey,  to  care  for  orphans, — one  of 
whom  was  to  go  to  Van — suspicion  was  at  once 
aroused,  and  orders  were  sent  from  Constan- 
tinople that  the  ladies  should  not  only  not  pro- 
ceed further,  but  be  returned  to  that  city. 

The  consuls  at  Erzroom  refused  to  send  them 
back.  Correspondence  was  at  once  commenced 
with  the  Embassies.  But  the  Government  was 
obdurate.  Permission  could  not  be  obtained 
that  the  English  lady  at  Erzroom,  whose  des- 
tination was  Van,  should  proceed  to  that  place, 
and  the  same  prohibition  included  the  Ameri- 
cans also.  Policemen  were  set  to  guard  the  mis- 
sion premises.  Spies  followed  any  one  who 
might  leave  the  house. 

Thus  Dr.  TJssher  waited  in  Erzroom  three 
weeks.  Every  day  was  precious,  for  every  pass- 
ing twenty-four  hours  brought  the  travellers  just 
so  much  farther  into  the  cold  winter.  Anxiety 
increased,  and  also  the  determination  to  get 
away.  Finally  word  was  received  from  the  Am- 
bassadors that  the  two  consuls  might  use  their 


GETTING  TO  VAN  65 

own  judgment,  acting  together.  Still  more  days 
passed.  The  question  was  a  hard  one  for  the 
consuls.  And  it  was  evident  that  personally 
they  were  not  disturbed  in  their  enjoyment 
because  the  ladies  were  staying.  Every  even- 
ing it  was  either  at  the  consulate  or  with  the 
missionaries  at  their  home.  And  Miss  Barrows 
would  sing  for  the  company.  She  captivated 
all  with  her  sweet  soprano.  But  finally  she  re- 
solved to  give  a  hint  to  the  consuls,  and  she 
sang  "  Speed  Away."  This  was  with  such  in- 
spiration that  none  could  forget  it. 

The  resolution  to  start  was  put  into  effect. 
Horses  and  sleds  were  hired  for  the  snow  was 
deep.  The  drivers  were  put  under  bond  by  the 
police  not  to  take  the  travellers  out  without  noti- 
fying them.  And  one  morning,  as  they  were 
about  to  start,  the  American  consul  rushed  into 
the  mission  premises  saying  that  he  could  not  let 
them  go  because  a  band  of  twenty  soldiers  had 
been  stationed  at  the  gate  to  prevent  it.  But 
after  much  discussion  the  consul  yielded,  and 
said  they  would  try  it.  If  they  could  get  past 
the  soldiers,  very  well.  The  gate  was  like  a 
tunnel,  for  the  wall  is  eighty  feet  thick. 

While  the  Doctor  was  getting  his  horse  from 
the  stable  the  sleds  were  driven  off,  he  suppos- 
ing that  they  had  gone  to  the  gate.    But  on  ar- 


66        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

riving  there  he  saw  nothing  of  the  sleds.  He, 
thinking  they  had  passed  through,  attempted 
to  proceed.  The  order  to  halt  was  disregarded. 
A  soldier  seized  his  horse's  bridle.  He  was  over- 
ridden and  obliged  to  let  go.  Another  of  the 
guard,  outside  the  wall,  levelled  his  rifle.  The 
Doctor  rode  his  horse  to  its  muzzle,  demanding 
how  he  dared  to  insult  a  foreigner  in  that  way. 
But  thinking  that,  in  such  circumstances,  dis- 
cretion was  the  better  part  of  valour,  he  changed 
his  tactics,  and  went  back.  He  now  called  for 
the  officer  of  the  guard,  repeating  his  demand 
for  a  reason  for  the  insult.  The  reply  was  that 
they  had  been  ordered  to  prevent  the  Americans 
from  passing  out.  Who  dared  to  give  such  an 
order  ?  and  as  the  Doctor  returned  such  a  bluff, 
he  took  his  note  book  from  his  pocket,  asking 
for  the  name  of  the  soldier  who  had  pointed  his 
rifle  at  him.  The  officer  thinking  a  mistake  had 
been  made,  entreated  that  nothing  be  said  to  the 
Vali,  and  added,  "  Please  go  out,  please  go  out." 
But  the  Doctor  did  not  go  out  then. 

When  the  consuls  appeared  arrangements 
were  made  for  him  to  leave  the  next  day.  He 
would  go  with  attendants,  and  sleds,  baggage, 
and  arms  necessary  for  the  journey.  He  would 
proceed  to  a  certain  place,  and  wait  there  for  the 
ladies,  going  out,  as  for  a  ride,  with  the  consuls, 


GETTING  TO  VAN  67 

the  day  following.  Dr.  Ussher  succeeded  with 
his  scheme  as  planned.  He  went  through  the 
gate.  It  was  a  victory  of  pluck  and  persever- 
ance against  cowardly  and  insulting  insolence. 
The  consuls,  with  the  ladies,  got  through  the 
day  following.  And  now,  for  a  time,  we  will 
let  Miss  Barrows  tell  her  own  story: 

"  Soon  we  were  on  the  trackless  plain.  Be- 
fore we  had  been  out  three  hours  our  low  sledges 
had  become  so  blocked  in  the  deep  drifts,  and 
the  blinding  snow  had  so  obliterated  all  traces 
of  the  road,  that  we  were  obliged  to  turn  back ; 
but  by  two  in  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  we 
were  out  on  the  road  again.  This  time  we 
passed  through  the  gate  without  the  slightest 
opposition,  as  pleasantly  as  if  everything  had 
been  of  the  kindest  and  best.  We  learned  that 
when  the  Government  perceived  that  they  had 
treated  consuls  with  disrespect,  they  assumed  a 
meek  and  apologetic  attitude,  and  were  willing 
to  be  forgiven.  They  could  even  send  a  runner 
to  overtake  Dr.  Ussher  to  beg  for  a  bakshish. 

"  By  this  time  a  caravan  of  camels  had 
broken  a  road,  so  that  the  sleighing  was  very 
good.  We  rode  all  that  night,  with  only  a  short 
stop  for  afternoon  tea  and  two  hours'  rest  for 
a   midnight   lunch.      This   stopping-place   was 


68        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

characteristic  of  our  hotels  for  the  rest  of  the 
journey.  We  entered  hy  a  low  door  which 
opened  into  a  long,  hlind  passageway,  with 
rooms  and  stables  leading  off  from  it,  without 
the  slightest  idea  of  arrangement.  The  space 
we  occupied  was  raised  two  or  three  feet  from 
the  corridor,  but  separated  from  the  stables  by 
only  a  low  partition.  All  the  cattle  and  horses 
and  poultry  are  kept  in  the  house,  for  the  sake  of 
safety  to  themselves,  and  warmth  to  their 
owners.  We  sat  on  rugs  thrown  on  the  bare 
earth,  and  sipped  boiling  hot  tea  from  little 
curved  glasses.  The  only  ventilation  was  from 
the  low  fireplace,  where  pieces  of  dried  manure 
were  smouldering,  and  one  window,  about  a  foot 
square,  in  the  roof. 

"  At  this  place  we  were  told  that  Dr.  Ussher 
had  gone  on.  There  was  a  happy  reunion  when 
we  reached  him,  as  he  had  been  waiting 
anxiously  for  us.  After  a  while  a  travelling 
pasha  arrived,  having  worked  with  a  large  force 
of  men  since  dawn  to  get  through  from  a  village 
only  four  miles  away.  This  meant  that  our 
road  was  open,  and  we  planned  to  start  at  mid- 
night. It  was  a  beautiful,  clear,  moonlight 
night  with  zero  weather. 

"  The  scenery  of  the  gorge  was  magnificent, 
and  the  ride  through  it   delightful  for  some 


GETTING  TO  VAN  69 

of  us.  But  the  kavasses  did  not  appreciate  it 
much,  for  just  as  we  were  crossing  a  small 
stream  at  the  entrance  to  the  gorge  their  sled 
broke  through  the  ice,  and  tipped  them  into 
the  water. 

"  We  stopped  at  a  Turkish  village  at  the 
foot  of  the  pass,  and  there  hired  extra  animals 
to  carry  our  loads  to  the  top,  our  horses  find- 
ing it  all  they  could  do  to  pull  up  the  empty 
sleds.  We  passed  many  large  wolf  tracks  in  the 
way.  Going  down  on  the  other  side  was  rather 
frightful,  as  the  road  would  suddenly  descend 
at  an  angle  of  about  seventy  degrees,  and  then 
ascend  a  similar  slope.  At  one  place  where 
all  the  three  sleds  stuck  in  turn,  the  vice  consul 
and  our  zabtier  rode  on  and  left  us,  so  that  at 
the  next  village  our  drivers  declined  to  go  on. 
They  began  to  unhitch  the  horses. 

"  Dr.  Ussher  called  to  the  English  kavass  to 
bring  his  sled  on,  and  he  seized  the  bridle  of 
one  of  the  horses  in  our  sleigh  and  started  them 
off.  As  soon  as  the  driver  promised  to  go  on 
he  was  allowed  to  drive,  but  we  had  not  gone 
more  than  twenty  yards  before  he  whipped  up 
the  horses,  and  sent  the  sleigh  against  the  op- 
posite bank  of  the  stream,  with  the  whippletree 
80  crowded  into  the  earth  that  no  amount  of 
pulling  could  get  it  up  the  bank.     Then  he 


70        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

started  up  the  horses  again,  apparently  deter- 
mined to  break  the  harness,  and  so  compel  us 
to  remain  at  the  village.  Dr.  Ussher  took  in 
the  situation,  and  with  an  almost  superhuman 
effort,  he  lifted  the  front  of  the  sleigh,  load 
and  all,  and  then  on  it  slid  much  to  the  surprise 
of  the  driver.  This  game  having  failed,  he  tried 
again,  and  being  off  the  sled,  thrashed  the  horses 
into  a  gallop  against  a  large  stone;  this  time 
breaking  the  whippletree  in  two,  and  letting 
the  horses  free.  Again  American  ingenuity 
came  into  play.  The  traces  which  consisted  of 
little  ropes,  much  like  an  ordinary  clothesline, 
were  tied  to  the  sleigh,  and  it  was  again  raised 
and  cleared  from  the  stones.  Soon  we  came" 
to  a  place  where  the  only  choice  of  a  path  was 
snow  four  feet  deep,  or  across  a  stream  with  a 
slush  of  uncertain  depth.  As  our  sleighs  were 
only  eight  or  nine  inches  high,  we  preferred 
to  wade  rather  than  to  risk  the  possibility  of  sit- 
ting in  ice  water.  We  got  safely  across,  and, 
with  the  ladies  in  separate  sleds,  the  men  walked 
up  the  steep  hill. 

"  As  we  were  all  spinning  down  the  other  side 
as  fast  as  it  was  safe  for  the  horses,  an  ox  draw- 
ing a  sled  appeared  in  the  narrow  path  below. 
Its  driver  tried  to  turn  it  off  into  the  deep  snow, 
but  it  stubbornly  refused  to  move.    Our  driver 


GETTING  TO  VAN  71 

slowed  up  as  much  as  possible;  but  Dr.  Ussher 
seeing  that  a  collision  was  imminent,  jumped 
off,  and  dashing  ahead,  put  his  shoulder  under 
the  ox  and  shoved  him,  thrown  on  his  side,  into 
the  snow;  then  he  snatched  the  light  sled  from 
the  path  just  in  time  for  our  sleighs  to 
glide  past. 

"  It  soon  became  dark  and  difficult  to  follow 
the  pure  white  road.  At  last  the  drivers  had 
to  walk  ahead  of  the  teams  while  we  followed 
their  dark  forms  on  the  snow.  In  spite  of  this 
we  lost  the  road,  and  just  when  the  drivers  were 
becoming  discouraged,  we  were  guided  back  to 
the  road  by  the  barking  of  a  dog  in  the  village, 
about  a  mile  distant.  Here  we  found  a  large 
stable  room  with  a  fire  of  ^  native  fuel,'  and 
here  rested.  When  one  is  tired  enough  rest  is 
possible  almost  anywhere. 

"  The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  we  had 
hoped  for  a  little  longer  rest.  But  early  in  the 
morning  the  vice-consul  caught  the  two  drivers 
trying  to  get  away  to  a  nearby  place  where  they 
might  telegraph  to  Erzroom  that  we  were  there. 
He  knocked  these  men  down,  as  he  said,  and 
came  leading  their  horse  back  to  the  stable. 
This  was  in  accordance  with  what  we  were  sure 
the  Government  wanted  to  do — hinder  us  on  our 
svay,  and  so  prevent  our  reaching  Van.     The 


72        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

men,  however,  got  away  later,  taking  the 
harnesses  but  leaving  their  horses  in  our 
care. 

"  Soon  after  we  noticed  that  soldiers  and  gen- 
darmes were  leaving  the  place.  On  inquiry  we 
learned  that  there  had  been  recently  a  fearful 
massacre  of  eighty-five  men  in  the  next  village. 
And  as  our  drivers  had  spread  reports  respect- 
ing our  relation  to  the  Government,  the  leading 
men  of  the  place  came  to  us  and  begged  us  to 
pass  on  lest  our  presence  might  precipitate  a 
massacre  there.  We  were  about  to  comply  with 
this  request  when  we  discovered  the  loss  of  our 
harnesses.  We  went  to  work  and  manufactured 
something  to  take  their  place  from  material  that 
we  had  with  us.  It  took  us  four  hours  to  reach 
the  scene  of  the  massacre,  and  so  complete  had 
been  the  awful  work,  that  we  could  find  only 
some  pieces  of  broken  pottery  in  which  to  bring 
our  water.  We  experienced  a  strange  feeling  of 
loneliness,  and  of  possible  danger,  while  we  re- 
mained there. 

"  The  next  day  was  December  25th,  and  a 
memorable  Christmas  it  was.  It  was,  for  us, 
a  day  never  to  be  forgotten.  Taking  fourteen 
men  with  us  to  open  the  road,  we  started  for  the 
pass.  We  all  walked  up  the  first  hills  as  it  was 
all  that  the  horses  could  do  to  draw  up  the  empty 


GETTING  TO  VAN  73 

sleds.  Then  the  ladies  mounted  two  horses,  and 
the  men  walked  till  they  were  nearly  exhausted. 
Our  poor  horses  floundered  in  the  deep  drifts, 
but  we  kept  on  till  we  came  to  a  place  where 
the  snow  was  about  six  feet  deep ;  to  get  through 
it  seemed  a  hopeless  venture.  We  did,  however, 
push  through  this  snow  and  up  the  next  hill; 
here  our  lead  horses  dropped.  All  the  others 
were  down,  or  had  been,  and  some  of  them  lay 
for  nearly  an  hour  before  they  could  stand 
on  their  feet. 

"  It  was  now  a  question  of  saving  the  lives  of 
our  men  and  horses,  so  we  left  our  baggage 
covered  in  the  sleighs,  and  started  on  foot,  or  on 
horseback,  for  the  next  village.  It  was  growing 
dark  and  cold,  and  it  was  hard  to  keep  the  path. 
We  passed  several  dead  horses  on  the  way,  some 
of  which  had  been  eaten  by  wolves,  and  we 
feared  a  similar  fate  for  our  horses,  if  not  for 
ourselves.  By  following  a  sheep  trail  we  at  last 
reached  a  village,  tired  but  thankful.  One  pack 
horse,  with  our  lunch  boxes  had  managed  to 
come  in.  For  this  we  were  very  glad.  Every 
member  of  our  party  was  tired  to  the  last  degree 
of  endurance,  and  all  threw  themselves  down 
in  any  place  and  in  any  manner.  They  simply 
could  not  stand. 

"  But  it  was  Christmas  evening.     Our  cele- 


74        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

bration  of  the  day  thus  far  could  hardly  be  con- 
sidered satisfactory.  I  resolved  that  we  should 
have  a  Christinas  dinner.  I  believed  that  never 
had  we  been  more  deserving  of  such  innocent 
enjoyment.  The  arrival  of  the  food  boxes  made 
it  possible.  Our  kind  missionary  friends  at 
Erzroom  had  not  forgotten  that  we  might  have 
to  celebrate  Christmas  under  unusual  circum- 
stances. So  they  had  put  something  into  the 
food  boxes  to  facilitate  such  an  event.  After 
considerable  effort  in  relation  to  warming  things 
that  were  cold  and  the  like,  with  no  small  at- 
tention to  the  fire  necessary  thereto,  I  had  the 
exquisite  pleasure  of  welcoming  my  exhausted 
friends  to  a  most  delicious  repast.  I  use  this 
word  delicious  advisedly,  for  it  should  not  be 
forgotten  that  everything  in  this  imperfect  world 
must  be  taken  according  to  its  relative  value. 
So  ended  our  celebration  of  the  gladdest  day  of 
the  year,  in  a  little-frequented  part  of  Ancient 
Armenia. 

"  It  should  be  added  that,  at  bedtime.  Old 
Mother  Earth,  in  recognition,  as  we  may  fondly 
believe,  of  our  righteous  zeal  in  observing 
Christmas,  gave  us  a  vigourous  earthquake 
shock.  This  was  the  grand  finale  of  the  varied 
entertainments  of  the  day,  and  we  closed  our 
eyes  to  happy  dreams." 


GETTING  TO  VAN  76 

The  next  day  men  were  sent  out  to  bring  in 
the  sleds  and  baggage ;  but  at  this  point  it  was 
decided  to  leave  the  sleds  and  go  on,  for  the 
rest  of  the  journey,  on  horseback.  Still  fearing 
the  Government,  the  party  went  around  the  next 
town,  and  crossed  the  Murad  branch  of  the  Eu- 
phrates river  on  the  ice.  The  vice-consul  went 
to  find  the  needed  pack  and  saddle  horses.  But 
the  drivers,  who  now  put  in  an  appearance,  be- 
gan again  to  make  trouble.  They  had  told  offi- 
cials of  the  vicinity  of  the  fugitive  party. 

Meanwhile  the  ladies,  who  were  left  waiting 
in  a  nearby  village,  had  their  first  experience 
of  Oriental  curiosity.  They  were  surrounded 
by  Kurdish  men  and  women  eager  to  examine 
every  article  of  clothing,  and  every  kind  of  food, 
so  different  from  their  own.  First  it  was  a 
piece  of  chocolate  passed  around  and  tasted,  then 
a  piece  of  orange,  bitter  from  having  been 
frozen.  This  went  from  hand  to  hand  till  it  was 
black  with  dirt,  when  one,  more  daring  than 
the  others,  ventured  to  taste  it!  The  disgust 
was  intense  as  the  offending  thing  was  hurled 
back  to  the  giver.  One  of  the  women  suddenly 
pulled  the  hair  of  her  visitor  to  see  whether  it 
were  hers,  or  only  tied  on. 

The  next  morning  the  party  essayed  to  go  on, 
thinking  that  they  were  now  in  the  province  of 


76        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

Van,  and  so  safe.  But  the  drivers  and  the  gen- 
darme, having  a  secret  agreement,  contrived  to 
put  obstacles  in  the  way,  till  the  vice-consul  be- 
came impatient  and  insisted  on  starting,  leaving 
the  British  kavass  and  gendarme  to  bring  the 
loads.  They  had  gone  on  a  little  way  when  Dr. 
Ussher,  feeling  some  anxiety  concerning  the 
loads,  rode  back  to  a  rise  of  ground  where  he 
could  see  whether  they  were  coming  all  right. 
He  perceived  excitement,  and  he  heard  shouting. 
Dashing  down  the  road  at  full  gallop,  came  a 
band  of  gendarmes,  who,  seeing  the  Doctor, 
loaded  their  rifles.  He  also,  seeing  their  menac- 
ing attitude,  swung  off  his  Remington  repeater, 
and,  making  it  ready  for  use,  turned  back,  and 
called  to  the  others  to  keep  together.  The  band 
came  on,  seized  the  vice-consul's  horse  by  its 
bridle  and  attempted  to  pull  him  from  it.  They 
beat  him  till  they  had  made  his  right  arm  use- 
less. Dr.  Ussher  told  them  to  stop,  and  in- 
stantly covered  them  with  his  loaded  rifle.  They 
turned,  threw  up  their  hands,  and  fled.  On 
another  occasion  during  this  eventful  journey, 
Dr.  Ussher  felt  obliged  to  call  on  the  colonel  of 
a  Kurdish  regiment  for  assistance,  which  was 
readily  given,  because  the  Doctor  had  attended 
several  of  his  men  who  had  been  wounded  in  a 
recent  fight. 


GETTING  TO  VAN  77 

Many  more  incidents  of  a  somewhat  similar 
character  might  be  related  of  Dr.  Ussher's  suc- 
cessful attempt  to  bring  the  ladies  of  his  charge 
to  their  home  station,  but  these  we  think  are 
sufficient  to  show  the  nature  of  the  difficulties 
with  which  he  had  to  contend. 

On  Saturday  the  29th  of  December  the  party 
took  a  horseback  ride  of  fifteen  consecutive 
hours,  hoping  to  reach  Van  before  the  Sabbath, 
but  were  unable  to  do  so.    Miss  Barrows  writes : 

"  We  arrived  at  Van  at  noon  the  next  day, 
and  were  welcomed  by  the  missionaries  and  a 
chorus  of  school-children.  How  glad  we  were 
to  be  at  home  at  last !  " 


VI 
THE  MAERIAGE 

AFTER  the  romantic  and  perilous  journey 
from  Erzroom  to  Van  had  ended  so  for- 
tunately, it  is  remembered  that  the  gal- 
lant escort  of  the  ladies  making  it,  was  heard 
to  remark  concerning  one  of  them  that  he  liked 
the  name  Elizabeth  because  it  was  the  name  of 
his  dear  sainted  Mother,  who  was  one  of  the 
most  lovable  of  the  fortunate  women  to  whom 
God  entrusts  the  rearing  of  children. 

Whether  there  were  at  that  time  any  other 
reasons  why  he  should  have  been  pleased  with 
the  name  does  not  now  very  clearly  appear.  It 
may  have  been  that  there  were.  To  believe  that 
there  were  we  do  not  think  would  involve  an 
extravagant  supposition.  The  getting  up  of  the 
Christmas  dinner  when  all  others  of  the  party 
were  so  exhausted  from  struggling  through  the 
snowbanks,  and  getting  up  and  down  hills  so 
steep  that  one  needed  to  be  braced  up  by  the 
snow  if  he  were  to  keep  his  balance,  that  they 
could  hardly  say  whether  they  cared  more  for 
78 


THE  MARRIAGE  79 

food  or  for  sleep — this  may  have  lingered  in 
his  memory,  as  something  pleasant  to  think  of, 
and  to  retain  in  mind  when  tempted  to  give 
■way  to  discouragement.  We  have  now  no  proper 
data  to  warrant  one  in  making  positive  asser- 
tions, but  suppositions  like  these  we  do  not  think 
out  of  place.  In  fact  certain  confessions,  freely 
made  afterward,  do  give  colour  to  this  view  of 
the  situation,  and  enable  one  in  narrating  these 
things,  to  stand  at  last  on  the  solid  ground  of 
the  unconditional  and  the  undoubted  for  on  the 
26th  day  of  the  following  month  of  June  the 
Reverend  Clarence  Douglass  Ussher,  M.D.,  and 
Miss  Elizabeth  Freeman  Barrows  were  joined 
in  holy  and  happy  wedlock,  Rev.  Dr.  George  C. 
Raynolds,  the  senior  missionary  at  Van  station, 
officiating. 

The  marriage  was  in  the  church.  'Among  the 
three  hundred  guests  who  were  present  by  in- 
vitation, were  the  Vali  and  with  him,  about 
twenty  of  the  higher  Turkish  officials  of  the  city. 
It  was  doubtless  a  wholly  new  experience  to 
them.  They  had  never  before  witnessed  a  mar- 
riage with  ceremony  so  sensible  and  so  simple. 
The  consuls  also,  in  their  gala-day  costume, 
added  brightness  as  well  as  dignity  to  the  occa- 
sion. Leaning  on  the  arm  of  the  British  rep- 
resentative, the  bride  was  brought  in. 


80        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

This  marital  union,  while  still  a  coming 
event,  had  cast  its  pleasing  shadow  across  the 
seas,  reaching  the  home  of  the  bride's  parents 
in  Stonington.  It  was  at  once  evident  to  them 
that  a  bridal  gown  must  be  prepared  and  sent 
by  mail  to  Van.  For  whatever  preparation  had 
been  made  for  the  daughter's  comfort  at  her 
missionary  home,  what  might  be  necessary  for 
her  marriage  was  not  included.  There  was 
no  thought  of  such  a  contingency.  Her  per- 
sistent refusal  of  offers  of  marriage  had  seemed 
to  be  sufficiently  conclusive.  But  now  the  wed- 
ding gown  was  hastily  prepared  and  sent  away. 
On  account  of  liability  of  loss  on  the  journey, 
it  was  put  in  a  sealed  envelope,  and  sent  as  first 
class  matter.  The  postmaster,  who  had  had 
much  experience  in  preparing  the  mails,  said  he 
had  never  before  received  so  much  postage  on 
a  single  letter. 

It  is  evident  that  there  had  been  a  change  of 
view,  as  well  as  enlargement  of  heart,  on  the 
part  of  the  bride.  It  was  acknowledged  by  both 
parties  to  have  been  a  case  of  love  at  first  sight. 
There  was  not,  however,  in  this  marriage, 
anything  to  change  or  weaken  the  pur- 
pose of  the  pair  to  give  their  whole  lives  to 
mission  work  in  the  foreign  field.  It 
wa3  rather,  on  the  other  hand,  a  strengthen- 


i 


THE  MARRIAGE  81 

ing  of   that  purpose,    a   sealing  of  the   vows 
made. 

Mrs.  Ussher  was  sent  to  Van  to  be  teacher 
of  the  school  for  girls  there.  But  now  a  change 
became  necessary.  While  she  continued,  in 
some  ways,  to  assist  in  the  school,  another  must 
be  found  for  its  head.  Extracts  from  a  letter 
by  Dr.  Raynolds  to  her  parents  may  be  properly 
introduced  here: 

"  It  is  certainly  fitting  that  you  should  have 
been  informed  directly,  long  ago,  how  highly 
the  coming  of  your  daughter  has  been  appre- 
ciated by  my  wife  and  myself.  We  had  looked 
forward  with  great  eagerness  to  her  coming,  and 
had  formed  high  anticipations  of  what  it  would 
mean  to  us,  and  I  am  most  happy  to  say  that 
those  high  expectations  have  been  more  than 
realized  since,  after  such  trying  experiences, 
we  were  permitted  to  welcome  her.  The  im- 
pression she  made  upon  us  at  the  start  was  most 
favourable,  and  the  subsequent  weeks  have  only 
strengthened,  and  made  more  definite,  the  first 
impression.  Her  sweet,  unselfish  disposition, 
her  hearty  interest  in  the  work  and  the  people, 
and  her  manifest  determination  to  make  herself 
useful,  have  endeared  her  to  us  all,  Americans 
and  Armenians. 


82        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

"  The  change  in  her  plans  as  to  the  sphere 
in  which  she  is  to  work,  caused  my  good  wife  a 
little  anxiety  at  first;,  because  she  feared  the 
care  of  the  girls'  school  would  remain  hers  in- 
definitely; but  the  willingness  of  both  Dr. 
TJssher  and  your  daughter  to  take  this  work  off 
her  hands  till  the  school  is  otherwise  provided 
for  has  removed  this  feeling.  In  all  other  re- 
spects we  both  feel  that  it  is  an  arrangement  in 
every  way  suitable,  it  is  calculated  to  promote 
the  efficiency  of  the  workers,  and  thus  benefit 
the  station. 

"  We  rejoice  with  the  newly  engaged  pair 
in  the  bright  prospects  which  are  opening  before 
them,  and  feel  that  the  friends  of  both  parties 
are  to  be  congratulated  on  this  happy  outcome 
of  the  hard  and  dangerous  journey  from 
Erzroom. 

"  We  wish  it  were  possible  that  you  both,  as 
well  as  other  friends,  could  be  with  us  on  the 
auspicious  occasion  which  is  to  unite  the  for- 
tunes of  the  two  lovers.  Of  this,  however,  we 
can  have  no  expectation." 

After  her  marriage  Mrs.  TJssher  found  the 
sphere  of  her  activities  greatly  enlarged.  Not 
only  was  there  some  work  in  the  school  that  she 
could  do,  but  it  was  her  great  pleasure  to  labour 


I 


THE  MARRIAGE  83 

among  the  poor  women.  As  soon  as  she  had 
acquired  their  language  sufficiently  to  get  within 
their  hearts,  she  always  had  some  kind  word 
for  them,  and  they  made  her  most  welcome 
in  their  homes.  But  to  her  their  homes  hardly 
seemed  like  homes.  She  took  upon  herself  the 
burden  of  their  deep  poverty.  Yet  how  lit- 
tle she  could  do  in  affording  relief!  Her  own 
happy  home  seemed  like  an  undeserved  gift  of 
God  as  she  compared  it  with  the  wretchedness 
of  many  that  she  visited.  She,  like  many  an- 
other missionary  wife  and  mother,  was  unaware 
of  the  good  which  a  real  Christian  home  does, 
as  an  example  among  a  people  who  have  never 
had  an  opportunity  to  learn  what  the  word 
means.  There  is  no  word  for  home  in  the  Turk- 
ish language.  And  many  of  the  people  get  their 
first  real  idea  of  a  home  from  that  made  by  the 
missionaries. 

Some  have  thought  that  for  the  sake  of  econ- 
omy, for  the  greater  freedom  of  action  in  itin- 
erary labours,  and  also  freedom  from  the  heart 
anguish  that  they  know  who  must  leave  chil- 
dren in  the  homeland,  all  missionaries  should 
remain  unmarried;  but  then  the  example,  and 
the  precious  influence  of  real  home  life,  among 
peoples  where  home  has  been  unknown,  would 
be  lacking;  and  a  great  deal  would  be  lacking. 


84        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

Because  the  wife  and  mother,  who  must  devote 
much  of  her  time  to  the  care  of  a  family  of 
little  ones,  usually  has  less  occasion  for  getting 
her  name  into  reports  of  work  on  mission 
ground,  she  is  by  no  means  only  a  cipher  among 
significant  figures.  Those  who  know  her  work 
best  are  fully  persuaded  of  its  exceeding  great 
value. 


VII 
THE  LACE  INDUSTKY 

IT  was  with  sympathetic  tenderness,  prompt- 
ing to  thought  and  inquiry,  that  Mrs. 
Ussher  saw  the  dire  poverty  and  suffering 
of  many  of  the  women  that  she  visited  at  their 
homes.  Could  nothing  be  done  for  their  relief  ? 
The  funds  of  the  Board  could  not  be  diverted 
to  the  feeding  of  the  poor.  And  indeed  it  would 
not  be  best  to  adopt  such  a  course  even  were 
there  money  in  hand  which  could  be  so  used. 
Human  nature  is  about  the  same  wherever 
found.  To  give  indiscriminately,  and  as  a  rule, 
to  the  very  poor,  while  nothing  is  required  in  re- 
turn, is  always  destructive  of  the  better  aims  and 
purposes  of  the  recipients.  This  is  never  more 
apparent  than  on  missionary  ground.  Jesus  did 
not,  except  in  certain  instances,  and  for  special 
reasons,  feed  the  multitudes  of  hungry  people 
who  followed  him.  And  when  because  of  his 
great  pity  for  them  he  did  multiply  the  loaves, 
he  saw  how  many  were  unfavourably  affected. 
85 


86        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

"  Ye  seek  me  not  because  ye  saw  the  miracles, 
but  because  ye  did  eat  of  the  loaves,  and  were 
filled." 

And  so  the  missionary  of  to-day,  the  longer 
he  labours  among  peoples  who  are  poor  because 
they  are  so  circumstanced  that  it  is  almost  im- 
possible for  them  to  improve  their  condition, 
becomes,  with  experience,  more  and  more  cau- 
tious how  he  feeds  those  poor.  There  are  in- 
deed times  when  calamity  has  overtaken  them, 
when  famine  prevails,  and  all  must  be  fed; 
then  the  missionary  is  only  too  glad  to  im- 
prove the  opportunity  of  showing  to  them,  in  a 
manner  beyond  mistake,  the  love  which  has 
brought  him  to  them,  the  real  nature  of  the  new 
faith  that  he  preaches. 

But  such  was  not  the  case  with  those  among 
whom  Mrs.  Ussher  was  labouring.  They  were 
chronically  poor,  always  poor,  with  no  chance 
of  bettering  their  condition.  What  should  she 
do  for  them  ?  Such  a  question,  if  asked  in 
America,  could  be  answered  in  a  variety  of 
ways,  but  not  so  in  Turkey.  These  poor  had 
nothing  to  pay  for  what  they  might  get.  Yet 
Mrs.  Ussher  believed  that  something  could  be 
done  for  them.  "What  that  something  consisted 
in  was  not  very  clear.  Yet  here  her  inborn  per- 
sistency came  into  good  use.     In  her  thoughts 


THE  LACE  INDUSTRY  87 

she  nurtured  the  plan  of  giving  those  women 
work  till  something  came  of  it. 

At  some  stations  the  women  were  being  helped 
to  improve  their  skill  in  making  lace  with  their 
needles.  Why  should  they  not  do  the  same  at 
Van  also?  They  could,  they  should  have  the 
opportunity.  Some  kind  friends  assisted  in  fur- 
nishing a  little  capital  with  which  to  start  the 
business.  The  enterprise  assumed  increased  im- 
portance. Skilled  teachers  among  the  native 
women  were  employed.  Soon  more  wished  to 
learn  to  make  lace  than  could  be  received.  A 
suitable,  clean  place  for  making  such  delicate 
fabrics  must  be  secured.  The  material  must 
not  be  soiled.  The  fingers  that  plied  the  needle 
must  be  kept  clean.  Every  foot  of  available 
space  was  occupied.  Constantly  more  women 
came  with  tearful  pleadings  for  a  little  part  of 
the  new  work.  Their  children^  too,  were  in 
want  of  bread.  Thus,  with  enlarged  accom- 
modations, more  than  one  hundred  women  and 
girls  were  given  something  to  do.  The  wages 
paid  were  very  small,  but  they  seemed  large 
to  those  who  compared  what  they  received  with 
the  nothing  in  hand  before. 

This  enterprise  demanded  the  most  careful 
supervision.  There  was  first  the  buying  of  ma- 
terial,   which   must   be    got    from    Europe    or 


88        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

America ;  then  the  choice  of  helpers  when  many 
wanted  the  same  places;  the  careful  keep- 
ing of  accounts ;  the  inspection  of  all  work  done ; 
and  also  the  guarding  of  property  that  nothing 
he  lost.  Then  last,  but  by  no  means  least,  was 
the  selling  of  the  goods.  Markets  were  found 
in  Europe  and  America.  In  addition,  there 
was  the  danger  of  loss  by  the  way  in  the  trans- 
portation of  material  for  use,  and  also  of  the 
finished  product. 

And  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  at  the 
end  of  each  week  the  workers  received,  each 
what  was  due  her,  more  or  less,  according  to 
the  amount  of  lace  she  had  finished,  without 
flaw  or  defect.  This  work  could  not  be  en- 
trusted to  another,  unless  it  were  another  of 
the  missionaries,  and  whose  hands  were  already 
full.  To  attend  to  so  many  small,  and  ever 
varying  accounts,  taking  particular  care  that 
each  one  receive  just  the  amount  due  her,  and 
that  no  money  be  in  any  way  lost,  was  a  weari- 
some task;  but  it  was  ever  cheerfully  done. 

And  this  was  cheerfully  done  not  only  be- 
cause in  this  way  some  assistance  could  properly 
be  given  to  many  poor  families — by  means  of 
it  not)  a  few  little  children  might  not  have  to  go 
hungry  to  bed — but  also  because  thus  some,  out- 
side the  Protestant  community,  might  learn  of 


THE  LACE  INDUSTRY  89 

the  missionaries  and  their  work.  Special  pains 
were  taken  to  tell  to  those  who  came  to  work 
"  the  old,  old  story,  of  Jesus  and  his  love." 

The  hospital  was  made  the  means  of  telling 
many  who  came  to  have  their  bodies  saved,  of 
the  Great  Physician  who  would  save  their  souls. 
So  also  the  lace  industry  was  conducted  with 
the  same  end  in  view.  Jesus  healed  many  that 
were  sick,  because,  in  his  tender  pity,  he  would 
relieve  suffering,  but  he  always  wished  to  be 
able  to  say  to  the  suffering  one,  "  Thy  sins  be 
forgiven  thee."  He  had  compassion  on  the  mul- 
titude, and  would  give  them  something  to  eat, 
but  he  thus  opened  the  way  for  him  to  declare 
unto  them  in  a  most  emphatic  manner,  "  I  am 
the  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven;  of 
which,  if  a  man  eat,  he  shall  live  forever."  It 
was  more  especially  to  be  able  the  better  to  pro- 
claim this  great  truth  to  the  poor  people  of  Van 
that  the  lace  work  was  carried  on. 


VIII 
'AGAIN  IN  THE  HOMELAND 

IF  the  traveller  in  foreign  lands,  though  find- 
ing much  enjoyment — entertainment  and 
instruction  on  every  hand,  yet  comes  to 
feel  an  almost  indescribable  longing  for  the 
familiar  scenes,  and  the  endearing  words  of  the 
friends  left  in  the  homeland,  what  shall  be  said 
of  the  missionaries,  who  have  been  away,  almost 
alone,  among  a  strange,  and  perhaps  but  par- 
tially civilized  people,  for  a  long  series  of  years, 
when  they,  and,  if  husband  and  wife,  together 
with  the  little  ones,  with  which  God  may  have 
filled  their  home,  start  to  go  back  to  meet  again 
the  warm  embrace  of  father  and  mother,  brother 
and  sister,  to  look  in  the  faces  and  hear  again 
the  well-remembered  voices  of  those,  whose  lives 
were  so  large,  and  so  precious,  a  part  of  their 
own  in  their  childhood  days  ? 

Doctor   and  Mrs.    TJssher,    after  nearly  ten 
years  of  life  in  Turkey,  were  granted  a  furlough 
of  a  year  for  needed  rest.    With  thoughts  and 
90 


AGAIN  IN  THE  HOMELAND        91 

feelings  which  no  one,  not  having  had  their 
experience,  could  well  understand,  they  began 
to  make  preparations  for  their  journey  to  Amer- 
ica. They  daily  watched  the  wasting  of  the 
snow  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  to  see  how 
far  advanced  spring  might  be.  It  was  a  debat- 
able question,  whether  it  were  best  to  go  up 
through  the  Caucasus  to  Batum,  on  the  Black 
Sea,  or,  crossing  Lake  Van,  go  over  the  moun- 
tains to  Erzroom,  and  thus  to  take  the  boat  at 
Trebizond.  They  finally  chose  the  latter  route. 
They  suffered  no  little  inconvenience,  crowded 
into  the  clumsy  boat  on  the  lake.  And  also  the 
melting  snow,  and  the  slush  and  mud  among  the 
mountains,  made  their  way  difficult;  yet  noth- 
ing seemed  to  them  hard,  if  they  were  making 
progress  towards  the  dear  ones  that,  in  imagina- 
tion, they  were  already  holding  in  their  em- 
brace. After  finding  themselves  on  board  a  com- 
fortable boat,  sailing  towards  Constantinople, 
their  journey  was  without  special  incident  till 
surprise  at  the  changed  appearance  of  New 
York,  with  its  sky-scrapers,  assured  them  that 
they  were  landing  in  America.  The  next  day 
brought  them  to  Stonington.  It  was  indeed  a 
red-letter  day  at  the  home  which  she  had  left, 
when  Mrs.  Ussher  enjoyed  the  rare  privilege  of 
introducing  to  her  father  and  mother  a  son-in- 


92        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

law  whom  they  had  never  seen,  while  at  the  same 
time  leading  in  through  the  door  four  little 
children — two  boys  and  two  girls — the  proof  of 
the  Heavenly  Father's  loving  faithfulness  in 
watching  between  the  dear  ones,  here  and  there, 
while  they  had  been  separated  one  from  the 
other.  In  regard  to  leaving  her  home  and  thus 
coming  back  she  might  adopt  the  words  of  the 
prosperous  Jacob  when  he  was  returning  from 
his  interesting  stay  in  Paden-aram :  "  With  my 
staff  I  passed  over  this  Jordan,  and  now  I  am 
become  two  bands." 

It  was  a  great  relief  to  the  missionary  family 
to  be  able  to  feel  that  they  had  escaped  all  the 
dangers  of  the  hard  journey,  and  were  now  in  a 
land  of  rest,  and  of  safety.  But  soon  they  had 
given  to  them  another  lesson  to  learn.  We  do 
not  know  when  our  most  deadly  enemy  may  be 
nearest.  W^e  are  safe  only  when  in  faith  we 
rest  in  God.  And  then  our  safety  is  in  His 
faithfulness,  and  not  in  what  we  may  desire. 
Fell  disease  came  to  the  Ussher  family.  The 
older  of  the  two  little  girls  lay  a  dying.  God 
had  come  to  take  her  back  to  himself,  his  gift, 
Dorothea.    Of  that  time  her  father  says : 

"  Her  lungs  were  swollen,  and  every  breath 
she  drew  was  such  an  exertion  as  to  shake  the. 


THE    FOUR    CHILDREN     THAT    MRS.    USSHER    INTRODUCED 

TO    THEIR    GRANDPARENTS    IN    STONINGTON 

Dorothea,  who  died  there,  standing  at  the  left. 


AGAIN  IN  THE  HOMELAND        93 

bed  on  which  she  lay.  Her  distress  was  extreme, 
and  yet  she  bore  it  so  patiently,  and  took  the 
remedies  without  a  murmur. 

"  Monday  noon  she  seemed  about  to  leave  us, 
when  she  said :  '  Papa,  can't  you  please  tell 
Jestis  to  make  me  better  ? '  She  always  said 
*  tell '  for  ask.  I  knelt  by  her  bed  and  prayed 
for  her  relief,  and  as  I  ceased,  she  said :  '  Papa, 
papa,  keep  on  praying.'  I  told  her,  '  God  hears 
little  girls'  prayers;  you  pray  too;  not  out 
loud,  just  think  what  you  want  to  say,  and 
he  will  hear  you ; '  and  she  broke  out,  '  Dear 
God  please  make  my  pains  better  for  Jesus' 
sake.' 

"  Then  she  sank  back  in  a  cold  sweat  and  it 
seemed  as  if  she  were  going  at  once;  but  she 
drew  a  deep  breath,  and  began  to  breathe  easily. 
In  a  few  minutes  she  called  for  food  and  play- 
things, and  we  rejoiced  that  she  was  recov- 
ering. 

"  In  the  afternoon  she  called  me  to  her  and 
said :  *  Papa,  I  want  to  say  what  I  say  at  night. 
I  want  to  pray,  Jesus,  tender  Shepherd.'  So 
she  closed  her  eyes  and  prayed : 

"  Jesus,  tender  Shepherd,  hear  me, 
Bless  thy  little  lamb  to-night; 
Through  the  darkness  be  thou  near  me, 
Keep  me  safe  till  morning  light. 


94        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

All  this  day  thy  hand  hath  led  me, 

And  I  thank  thee  for  thy  care; 
Thou  hast  warmed  me,  clothed  and  fed  me, 
{and  make  me  better) 

Listen  to  my  evening  prayer. 

Let  my  sins  be  all  forgiven, 
(my  sins — all  forgiven) 
Bless  the  friends  I  love  so  v?ell; 
Take  me  when  I  die  to  heaven, 
{to  hewven — to  heaven) 
Happy  there  with  thee  to  dwell." 

"  '  And,  dear  Jesus,  make  all  my  pains  well, 
and  make  everybody  well.' 

"  She  rested  quietly  till  evening,  noticing 
everything;  and  she,  who  had  been  so  weak, 
threw  her  arms  about  her  mother's  neck  and, 
kissing  her,  said :  '  Good  night,  Mamma.' 

"  Tuesday  morning  her  breathing  was  shal- 
low, and  her  pulse  fast,  but  she  seemed  much 
better  than  Monday  morning.  Later  there  was 
a  gradual  change,  and  sitting  beside  her,  we 
heard  her  say,  '  I've  had  enough  of  this.' 
Soon  she  called  out,  '  Papa,  I'm  all  ready : 
I'm  all  ready  to  fly.'  I  went  to  her  and 
asked : 

"  '  Where  will  you  fly,  darling  ? ' 

"  '  Up  to  the  stars  and  things.' 

"  '  Who  is  going  with  you,  Dorothy  ? ' 

"  '  I'm  going  alone ;  may  I  go.  Papa  ? ' 

"  '  Will  you  come  back  again  to  Papa  ? ' 


AGAIN  IN  THE  HOMELAND        95 

"  '  Yes,  Papa ;  may  I  go  ? ' 

"  '  Yes,  darling,  if  you  will  come  back  again 
to  Papa,  you  may  fly.' 

"  '  Thank  you.  Papa/ 

"  She  closed  her  eyes  and  was  motionless 
for  perhaps  less  than  half  a  minute,  when  she 
opened  her  eyes,  saying: 

"  '  I'm  back  again.  Papa.' 

"'Did  you  fly,  Dorothy?' 

"  '  Yes,  Papa,  up  past  the  stars :  I  went  alone, 
but  some  one  came  back  with  me.' 

"  '  Who  came  back  with  you  ? ' 

"  '  He  was — (she  seemed  at  a  loss  to  describe) 
— he  came  back  with  me,  but  he  is  not  here  now : 
he  is  gone  again.' 

"  Then,  fearing  she  would  exhaust  herself,  I 
bade  her  rest  and  tell  me  all  about  it  later.  With 
a  sweet,  '  All  right,  Papa,'  she  turned  on  her 
side.  In  about  a  minute  I  noticed  a  change 
in  her  breathing,  and  ere  we  could  speak 
again  the  beautiful  angel  had  flown;  but  the 
message  of  joy  on  her  face  made  heaven 
ours,  and  Dorothea  '  God's  gift '  to  us  for- 
ever." 

But  now  a  change  had  found  place  in  the 
character  of  the  long-anticipated  visit  to  Amer- 
ica, which  had  been  least  of  all  expected.    The 


96        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

blow  fell  most  heavily  upon  the  mother's  heart ; 
for  a  mother's  love  the  mother  only  knows.  Yet 
Mrs.  Ussher's  gaze  was  above  the  dark  cloud 
which  had  so  suddenly  enveloped  her.  She 
manifested  a  calmness  and  a  strength  which 
were  not  her  own.  The  support  of  the  Divine 
Presence  did  not  fail  her  in  the  hour  of  great- 
est need.  She  had  an  appointment  to  speak  at 
a  missionary  meeting  of  ladies  in  Hartford,  to 
be  held  immediately  after  the  funeral  of  her 
little  girl. 

Would  she  attempt  to  fill  it  ?  No  one  thought 
she  could.  Yet  in  a  quiet,  chastened  demeanour, 
with  apparently  perfect  self-control,  with  no  al- 
lusion to  what  she  had  passed  through,  she  filled 
the  half  hour  allotted  her  with  an  earnest  plea 
for  the  work  she  loved  so  well.  It  was  to  the 
astonishment  of  all  present.  Her  hearers,  as  it 
were,  held  their  breath,  in  nervous  sympathy 
and  apprehension.  It  was  afterwards  referred  to 
many  times.  One  said  to  another,  "  How  could 
Mrs.  Ussher  speak  under  such  circumstances  ?  " 
It  was  the  "  obstinate  persistency  "  of  the  little 
girl  with  her  parents  in  the  parsonage,  now  sanc- 
tified, directed  by  reason,  and  so  made  fit  for  the 
Master's  use.  The  feelings  which  would 
naturally  rebel  against  what  so  often  seems  to 
U3   an  unnecessary  affliction,  were  wholly  set 


MRS.    USSHER    AFTER    THE    DEATH    OF    HER    LITTLE    GIRL 


AGAIN  IN  THE  HOMELAND        97 

aside.  She  said :  "  I  have  a  little  girl  in  heaven 
— with  Jesus.  Shall  I  do  less  for  him  now? 
May  I  not  do  more  ?  Shall  I  not  begin  to  realize 
now  that  I  have  a  treasure  laid  up  in  heaven? 
I  need  not  be  troubled  or  afraid.  We  named 
her  '  God  given.'  We  can  surely  trust  him 
to  care  for  her.  Can  we  imagine  how  beau- 
tiful may  be  her  development  in  the  higher 
life?" 

Mrs.  Ussher  taught  her  children  to  think  of 
little  Dorothea  as  in  heaven,  and  to  speak  of 
her  as  not  dead,  but  as  living  there.  Her  grand- 
father was  not  at  home  at  the  time  of  her  death, 
and  when,  a  little  time  after,  he  returned,  the 
younger  sister  went  to  the  railroad  station  to 
meet  him.  As  he  took  the  hand  of  the  little 
one  to  walk  home,  she  looked  up  in  his  face,  and 
in  her  childish  innocence,  as  if  to  tell  him  some 
good  news,  said,  "  Dorothy  has  gone  up  to 
heaven  to  live !  " 

Mrs.  TJssher  had  her  mind  so  largely  upon  the 
lace  work,  which  at  Van  had  been  her  care  for 
a  good  while — the  providing  of  material,  the 
securing  of  more  profitable  markets  for  the  sale 
of  the  goods,  etc. — that,  with  other  work,  like 
correspondence  and  the  making  of  missionary 
addresses,  she  found  but  little  time  to  visit  with 
her  friends.    It  was  sometimes  remarked,  while 


98        IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

she  was  at  her  father's  house,  that  she  could 
be  seen  only  at  meal  times.  Neither  did 
she  find  much  time  for  social  visiting  with 
family  friends,  or  for  any  form  of  recrea- 
tion. 

When  the  year  of  furlough  had  expired,  and 
Mrs.  Ussher  was  about  to  say  good-by  to  the 
friends  that  then  seemed  so  dear  to  her,  she 
was  heard  to  remark,  that  she  thought  she  had 
made  a  mistake  in  not  taking  more  time  for  see- 
ing the  loved  ones,  that  would  now  be  for  long 
years  out  of  sight.  She  added  that  when  she 
should  come  to  America  again  she  would  do 
differently. 

Her  second  vacation  involved  larger  issues 
than  would  the  coming  to  America.  Must  we 
not  believe  that  she  has  found  abundant  oppor- 
tunity for  unspeakably  sweet  communion  with 
the  dear  ones  who  had  passed  on  before  her? 
Has  not  the  cup  of  her  mother  joy  been  full 
as  she  has  found  that  she  was  right  in  teach- 
ing her  little  girl  to  say  that  Dorothea  had  gone 
up  to  heaven  to  live? 

At  one  time,  when  she  had  in  some  way  re- 
ceived an  erroneous  impression  in  regard  to 
her  mother's  health,  and  thought  she  might  have 
passed  away,  she  asked  in  her  letter,  "  Has 
Mother  indeed  gone  to  find  little  Dorothea  ? " 


AGAIN  IN  THE  HOMELAND        99 

It  may  be  believed  that  some  day  her  mother 
will  find  little  Dorothea  and  little  Dorothea's 
Mother,  in  the  enjoyment  together  of  a  life  of 
which  we  can  now  have  no  conception. 


IX 

THE  KETUEN  TO  THE  FIELD 

THE  return  journey  was  without  unusual 
incident  until  the  party  reached  Batoom, 
at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Black 
Sea,  from  which  place  they  could  proceed  by 
rail  to  a  point  within  a  few  days'  travel,  by 
wagon  or  horseback,  to  Van.  We  will  now 
quote  from  one  of  Mrs.  Ussher's  letters  of  that 
time: 

"  Let  me  tell  you  a  little  of  our  overland 
journey.  We  spent  one  day  in  Batoom,  leav- 
ing at  night  for  Tiflis  which  we  reached  about 
seven  o'clock  the  next  morning.  We  were  sorry 
to  miss  all  that  fine  scenery  of  the  Caucasus, 
but  it  could  not  be  helped.  At  Tiflis  we  had 
only  about  eight  hours  to  do  a  little  shopping, 
necessary  before  attempting  the  rest  of  the 
journey.  But  in  the  first  place  a  good  deal  of 
this  time  had  to  be  spent  in  trying  to  find  a 
hotel,  and  then,  after  that,  in  finding  something 
to  eat.  And  at  last  we  found  only  third-rate 
100 


THE  RETURN  TO  THE  FIELD       101 

accommodations,  as  the  city  was  full  of  tourists, 
many  of  whom  were  going  to  Echmiadzin,  to  the 
anointing  of  the  new  Armenian  Catholicos. 

"  We  took  the  train  for  Karkhoon  (our  near- 
est stopping  place  towards  Van)  at  four  that 
afternoon,  and  we  had  a  very  trying  night,  as 
the  cars  were  crowded  full.  At  about  midnight 
we  were  suddenly  told  that  we  must  change 
cars.  And  this  change  was  from  a  second  to  a 
third-class  train,  which  in  respect  to  comfort 
meant  a  good  deal  to  us.  Besides,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  kindness  of  an  Armenian  gentle- 
man, whom  we  had  met  on  the  Black  Sea,  and 
who  was  on  his  way  to  Etchmiadzin,  we  never 
could  have  taken  off  all  our  hand  luggage  in 
time.  The  children  were  asleep,  and  we  our- 
selves partly  undressed,  when  we  were  told  to 
change.  The  only  light  we  had  was  from  a  sput- 
tering little  candle  on  the  wall;  and  such  per- 
sons as  porters  were  evidently  never  heard  of 
on  this  road.  We  barely  caught  the  other  train, 
in  which  we  had  to  sit  on  dirty  wooden  benches 
for  the  rest  of  the  night.  Karkhoon  is  near 
Etchmiadzin  where  we  spent  Sunday.  May  we 
be  delivered  from  ever  getting  into  such  a  crowd 
again.  It  was  said  that  20,000  Armenians  had 
gathered  there.  Accommodations  could  be  had 
for  only  about  2000,  and  food  was  at  a  premium. 


102      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

iWe  went  hungry  part  of  the  time,  as  our  hosts 
insisted  upon  providing  for  us,  and  then,  of 
course,  could  not  get  around  to  feeding  every 
one — ourselves  included.  We,  however,  were 
honoured  guests,  and  were  furnished  with  a  very 
nice  room  in  the  theological  school  building,  con- 
nected with  the  monastery,  and  were  given 
special  tickets  of  admission  to  the  cathedral, 
where  the  high  ceremonies  were  to  take  place. 

"  As  we  were  trying  to  follow  His  Holiness 
into  the  cathedral,  the  crowd  surged  upon  us 
so  that  later,  when  the  Russian  soldiers  had  to 
charge  through,  with  fixed  bayonets,  because  of 
the  panic,  the  rush  was  so  great  that  a  lady  be- 
side me  and  I  were  thrown  to  the  ground,  and 
only  Clarence's  strong  arm  and  quick  action 
saved  us  from  being  trampled  on — saved  us 
from  crushed  ribs,  and  it  may  be  from  death 
itself.  It  was  a  very  narrow  escape.  But  we 
were  extricated  from  the  dreadful  jam,  and 
finally  reached  our  room,  glad  enough  to  be 
there.  Thousands  were  turned  away  from  the 
cathedral  door.  That  evening  we  were  granted 
a  special  interview  with  the  Catholicos,  and  we 
were  much  pleased  with  the  spirit  of  the  ven- 
erable old  man. 

"  The  next  day  we  set  out  for  Igdir.  Three 
of  us,  with  our  luggage,  went  in  an  old  foor- 


THE  RETURN  TO  THE  FIELD       103 

goon,  or  heavy,  springless  wagon,  wbicli  took 
seven  hours  to  cover  the  twenty-three  miles. 
At  Igdir  we  found  a  better  foorgoon,  which, 
with  the  carriage,  that  accommodated  four  peo- 
ple, brought  us  safely  to  Van  in  four  and  a 
half  days. 

"  This  overland  trip  was  not  particularly  rest- 
ful, although  it  was  all  very  interesting.  For 
four  days  we  were  within  a  short  distance  from 
Mt.  Ararat,  going  around  it.  One  pass  was 
more  than  8000  feet  high,  and  we  had  to  put 
yokes  of  oxen  and  buffaloes  before  our  horses  be- 
fore we  could  get  up  the  very  steep  ascents.  In 
some  places  the  road  was  badly  washed  out,  and 
our  men  had  to  hold  on  with  all  their  might 
to  preserve  the  equilibrium  of  the  foorgoon,  and 
so  keep  it  from  rolling  down  the  mountain  side. 
We  crossed  lava  beds,  which  extended  many 
miles, — said  to  be  the  largest  in  the  world.  The 
scenery  was  most  magnificent.  And  it  was  much 
pleasanter  to  our  view  than  the  dangerous  places 
that  we  must  cross. 

"  There  was  another  party  along  with  us. 
They  were  in  two  carriages,  one  of  which  was 
overturned,  and  went  rolling  down  a  precipice ; 
but,  singularly  enough,  no  one  in  it  was  sei^i- 
ously  injured. 

"  Two  nights  were  spent  in  the  open,  as  our 


104.      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

drivers  refused  to  go  on  to  a  village.  I  made 
a  bed  for  the  cliildren  under  the  foorgoon,  and 
when  a  shower  came  up,  I  protected  them  as 
best  I  could.  It  is  needless  to  say  they  caught 
cold,  and  we  older  ones  slept  but  little.  Now, 
however,  in  the  joy  of  being  at  home  again,  all 
these  minor  difficulties  are  forgotten. 

"  But  in  order  to  reach  home  at  the  time  in- 
dicated in  the  telegram,  sent  from  Constanti- 
nople to  our  friends  here,  we  were  obliged  to 
travel,  with  only  a  short  resting  spell,  twenty- 
two  consecutive  hours.  The  children  slept  ex- 
cept when  we  had  to  walk  up  the  worst  part 
of  the  steepest  places ;  fortunately  there  was  a 
moon,  so  we  got  along  all  right.  It  was  rather 
weird  to  walk  up  the  mountains  in  the  moon- 
light with  the  children,  but  they  seemed  to 
enjoy  it.  Part  of  the  time  our  old  assistant, 
Krekore,  took  baby  in  front  of  him  on  the  mule. 
After  that  he  begged  to  ride  on  the  '  mool.' 

"  And  then  such  a  welcome  home !  It  was 
worth  being  away  more  than  a  year  to  see  how 
glad  the  people  were  to  welcome  us  again.  Some 
hired  carriages,  but  more  walked  five  or  six 
miles, '  to  bring  us  in.'  The  young  men  of  Clar- 
ence's '  Temperance  and  Purity  League  '  had  a 
big  blue  and  white  flag  over  their  omnibus,  and 
several  others  dashed  ahead  on  horseback,  firing 


THE  RETURN  TO  THE  FIELD       105 

their  revolvers  into  the  air,  as  the  most  sig- 
nificant way  of  expressing  their  joy.  All  the 
Americans,  Germans,  teachers  and  church  mem- 
bers, came  out;  so  we  formed  a  long  cavalcade 
through  the  city  streets.  People  came  running 
to  the  doors  and  windows  to  see  us  pass.  At 
almost  every  door  there  was  some  one  to  salute 
us ;  and  it  made  us  feel  so  glad,  and  so  humble, 
when  we  realized  how  unworthy  we  were  of 
such  love.  It  was  not  till  then  that  I  was  really 
happy  in  the  thought  that  our  beautiful  vaca- 
tion was  over,  and  the  long  stretch  of  service 
was  before  us.  Since  then  it  has  seemed  good 
to  feel  the  harness  again.  I  only  hope  that  I 
may  pull  true  and  steady! 

"  I  need  not  tell  you  how  hard  we  had  to  pray 
for  strength  when  we  closed  our  door  upon  the 
joyous,  singing  crowd,  and  we  five  were  alone  in 
our  home — in  a  home  that  can  never  seem  as 
it  used  to  before  our  darling  left  us.  For  some 
days  I  was  almost  startled  at  the  vivid  expecta- 
tion of  meeting  her,  at  this  or  that  place,  where 
she  used  to  play  about.  Her  spirit  has  seemed 
very  near  us;  it  did  very  especially  yesterday, 
as  it  was  her  birthday. 

"  For  a  few  days  we  boarded  with  the  other 
missionaries,  but  soon  we  had  our  stove  up  and 
our  dishes  out,  so  we  could  begin  to  have  our 


106      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

meals  at  home.  We  like  our  new  stove  very  much 
although  it  burns  a  great  deal  of  wood,  and 
wood  is  very  scarce  this  year;  so  we  use  our 
oil  stove  as  much  as  possible.  As  a  result  of  the 
repacking  of  our  fruit  jars,  filled  with  Stoning- 
ton  groceries,  four  were  broken,  and  their  con- 
tents scattered  through  the  excelsior,  but  that 
is  not  a  bad  proportion.  Almost  all  our  things 
came  through  well  this  time.  The  boxes  that 
we  sent  off  last  are  on  their  way  from  Trebizond, 
and  we  hope  they  will  reach  us  before  the  snows 
set  in.  Our  rooms  are  all  arranged  and  it  re- 
mains to  set  in  order  closets,  cupboards  and 
drawers.  This  getting  things  set  to  rights  has 
had  to  be  done  by  piecemeal,  as  we  have  had  such 
a  constant  stream  of  callers  that  no  consecutive 
work  has  been  possible. 

"  We  have  had  at  least  a  hundred  callers  and 
we  have  been  able  to  return  but  two  calls  so  far. 
You  can  infer  how  some  of  my  time  will  have 
to  go  for  the  next  month.  I  hoped  to  open  the 
lace  work  a  week  ago,  but  repairs  on  the  rooms 
prevented.  The  girls  come  to-morrow  for  the 
first  time.  Then  also  Clarence  will  open  the 
hospital,  with  three  operations  in  the  morning. 

"  To-day  he  started  early  for  a  village  five 
hours  away,  to  see  a  sick  man.  He  will  probably 
not  get  back  till  after  dark,  and  will  feel  pretty 


THE  RETURN  TO  THE  FIELD       107 

stiif  and  sore,  as  lie  has  not  ridden  horseback 
for  so  long  a  time.  He  had  to  borrow  a  horse 
as  his  dear  old  Nedjib  has  been  stolen.  He  was 
taken  away  from  Igdir  before  we  reached  the 
place,  and  no  one  knows  by  whom,  or  how.  But 
it  is  our  supposition  that  the  khanje  himself 
disposed  of  him.  The  matter  is  in  the  hands 
of  the  local  police,  and  of  the  American  consul 
at  Batoum ;  but  as  Igdir  is  just  on  the  border  of 
the  three  countries,  it  will  be  hard  to  find  the 
thief  or  to  prove  anything. 

"  Oh,  I  must  now  tell  you  about  our  experi- 
ment last  evening,  as  you  may  be  interested  to 
try  it.  We  suspended  a  darning  needle,  by  a 
fairly  short  thread,  over  the  heads  of  the  people 
in  the  room.  The  needle  must  be  near  the  hair 
but  not  touch  it.  When  over  the  head  of  a  man 
it  would  begin  to  vibrate  back  and  forth  in  a 
straight  line;  but  when  over  the  head  of  a 
woman  it  went  round  in  a  circle.  It  is  said 
that  you  can  test  the  sex  of  eggs  in  the  same 
way.  We  found  when  we  tried  it  that  the  needle 
acted  differently  in  different  cases.  When  there 
is  no  life  in  the  egg,  the  needle  remains  sta- 
tionary. Of  course  the  hand  holding  the  needle 
must  be  steady.  One  would  hardly  believe  this 
to  be  really  true  unless  he  had  seen  it. 

"  My  lace  work  is  in  full  swing  again  now.    I 


108      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

am  having  a  happy  birthday,  with  aplenty  to 
keep  me  busy.  I  have  written  three  letters,  and 
now  I  must  attend  to  the  children's  lessons." 

The  little  episode  in  the  life  of  the  mission- 
aries at  Van,  when,  as  Mrs.  Ussher  relates,  they 
learned  of  the  strange  action  of  the  needle,  is 
noticed  in  this  sketch  to  show  that,  while  they 
were  devoting  all  their  strength  to  the  one  work 
of  bringing  a  new  and  happier  life  to  the  peo- 
ple around  them,  they  felt  the  necessity  of  an  oc- 
casional let  up  in  the  otherwise  constant  strain 
of  each  day's  work  and  care. 

And,  besides,  they,  like  other  missionaries 
in  the  foreign  field,  naturally  felt  a  peculiar 
interest  in  the  on  moving  of  the  great  world  of 
life  and  activity,  from  which  they  were  shut  out. 
Also  the  making  of  the  daily  life  of  the  children 
of  the  station  pleasant  and  happy,  while  their 
proper  training  was  not  neglected,  must  ever  be 
kept  in  mind. 

In  this  it  fell  to  Mrs.  Ussher  to  have  a  promi- 
nent part.  And  that  it  was  so  was  greatly  to  her 
enjoyment ;  she  loved  little  children,  and  to  care 
for,  and  train  them,  notwithstanding  that,  when 
in  America,  she  seemed  so  oblivious  to  every- 
thing which  did  not  directly  contribute  to  the 
success   of   her   scheme   for   helping   the   poor 


THE  RETURN  TO  THE  FIELD       109 

women  of  Turkey.  And  an  hour  of  fun-making 
recreation,  when  it  was  in  the  line  of  retaining 
strength  for  the  best  work  for  others,  she  would 
enter  into  with  the  greatest  heartiness. 

And  while  Van  seems  so  iav  removed  from  the 
world's  great  centers  of  activity,  it  still  has  a 
certain  connection  with  wealth  and  fashion, 
which  is  not  the  case,  to  the  same  extent,  with 
some  other  mission  stations  that  seem  nearer 
at  hand.  It  is  the  seat  of  government  of  the 
province,  and  the  residence  of  vice  consuls  of 
the  great  powers  of  Europe.  This  necessitates, 
for  the  sake  of  a  favourable  view  by  these  offi- 
cials of  what  the  missionaries  are  trying  to 
accomplish,  the  observance  of  certain  rules  and 
functions,  involving  the  spending  of  a  little  time 
and  of  incurring  some  slight  expense.  Mrs. 
Ussher  was  always  ready  to  do  her  full  share 
in  making  such  occasions  pleasant  and 
profitable. 

And  more,  the  geographical  situation  of  Van 
contributes  not  a  little  to  a  certain  novelty  in  the 
enjoyment  of  the  newest  things ;  this  is  because 
it  is  reputed  to  be  the  place  of  the  oldest  things. 
Do  not  the  beautiful  gardens  outside  the  walls 
of  the  city  of  Van  include  the  very  site  of  the 
Garden  of  Eden?  There  are  those  who  affirm 
that  it  is  verily  so.    And  it  certainly  is  no  easier 


110      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

to  dispute  their  claims  than  it  is  to  show  the  ab- 
surdity of  affirming  that  Adam  and  Eve  once 
sat  under  the  shade  of  trees  that  bore  their  al- 
luring fruit  amid  the  now  icy  regions  of  the 
North  Pole.     Or,  somewhere  else. 

But,  allowing  that  it  is  possible  to  raise  some 
doubt  in  regard  to  the  exact  site  of  the  ancient 
Garden,  one  thing  does  seem,  from  the  record, 
to  be  removed  from  the  field  of  discussion, 
namely,  that  the  illustrious  descendant  of  Adam 
did  navigate  his  big  ship  to  the  top  of  Ararat, 
where  it  rested  for  a  good  while.  And  when 
the  venerable  patriarch  finally  let  out  his 
strange  lot  of  passengers,  he  must  have  looked 
down  upon  the  lovely  valleys,  that  have  ever 
since  been  the  favourite  home  of  mankind.  And 
so  to  live,  it  may  be,  in  the  very  place  where 
it  is  thought  that  Adam  and  Eve  sat  under  the 
tree,  and  ate  the  forbidden  fruit ;  or,  if  not  that, 
at  least  where  Noah  and  his  sons  planted  their 
vineyards  and  watched  their  flocks,  and  to  com- 
pare their  mode  of  living,  and  ways  of  think- 
ing, with  the  latest  results  of  scientific  thought 
and  invention,  like  wireless  telegraphy  and  ma- 
chines, without  life,  that  talk  and  sing — to  be 
where,  in  your  thought,  these  things  meet,  must 
serve  to  kindle  within  one  emotions  most  pe- 
culiar and  most  rare. 


THE  RETURN  TO  THE  FIELD       111 

Mrs.  Ussher,  from  her  frequent  allusion  to  the 
ancient  things  about  her,  and  even  the  indica- 
tions of  the  remains  of  things  prehistoric,  to- 
gether with  her  ever  keen  interest  in  the  newest 
wonders  of  to-day,  showed  that  she  felt  that 
she  was  in  a  world  where  the  most  distant  ex- 
tremes, as  has  been  long  believed,  are  strangely 
mingled  to  form  an  unquestioned  present.  This 
added  a  peculiar  uniqueness  to  her  home  at  Van. 


X 

IN  THE  HARITESS  AGAIN 


THESE  words  were  suggested  to  Mrs. 
Ussher  by  her  experiences  on  the  over- 
land journey  when  returning  to  her  old 
field  of  labour.  This  journey  was  made  by 
means  of  the  heavy  old  springless  vehicles — 
which  we  have  already  noticed — drawn  by 
horses  that  must  make  their  way  among  ruts 
and  rocks,  or  with  spasmodic  jerks  in  en- 
deavouring to  extricate  their  load  from  bogs  and 
mire.  Sometimes  the  harness  would  break  un- 
der unreasonable  efforts  to  free  the  wagon  from 
its  obstructions;  or  perhaps  that  would  remain 
unmovable  while  its  wheels  were  sinking  still 
deeper  into  the  mud.  Mrs.  Ussher  did  not  wish 
to  do  her  work  as  those  horses  had  been  obliged 
to  do  theirs.  She  wished  rather  to  be  able  "  to 
pull  true  and  steady." 

Every  missionary,  on  returning  to  the  field 
where  he  has  spent  many  j'^ears,  and  to  the  peo- 
112 


IN  THE  HARNESS  AGAIN         113 

pie  for  whom  he  feels  a  peculiar  affection,  is 
sure  to  experience  a  kind  of  elation  of  spirits, 
as  these  friends  that  he  had  made,  crowd  upon 
him  with  a  welcome  that  is  shown  in  no  unmis- 
takable fashion ;  and  he  is  for  the  first  time  glad 
that  his  "  beautiful  vacation  "  is  over ;  but  still 
things  will  not  seem  to  him  quite  as  they  were 
when  he  left  them.  It  will  take  him  a  little  time 
"  to  get  his  hand  in."  Until  he  does,  it  will 
not  seem  to  himself  that  he  is  quite  fitting  him- 
self into  his  surroundings. 

But  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Ussher  the  one  sad 
circumstance  was  that  a  sweet  little  face  that 
used  to  make  home  so  bright,  was  no  longer 
there.  The  loss  came  to  them  with  a  sharper 
poignancy  of  grief  than  that  which  they  had  felt 
while  in  the  homeland.  But  the  mother's  re- 
markable strength  of  purpose,  and  the  calmness 
of  her  self-control,  did  not  forsake  her.  She 
was  soon  deeply  interested  in  her  work ;  if  with 
a  spirit  more  subdued,  with  an  ardor  no  less 
warm  and  pressing.  And  while  she  never  for  a 
moment  forgot  that  her  mission  was 

"  to  tell  the  storjr 
Of  unseen  things  above," 

to  those  who,  in  the  darkness  of  their  sinful 
lives,  were  held  down  to  things  below,  she  also 


114j      in  the  land  of  ARARAT 

felt  that  it  was  her  duty,  as  well  as  her  great 
joy,  to  care  for,  and  instruct,  the  little  ones 
that  God  had  given  her,  and  had  still  left  to 
her  here. 

And  it  also  added  to  her  pleasure  in  doing 
this,  that  she  could  make  it  a  part  of  her  work 
as  a  missionary,  in  showing  to  the  people  around 
her  what  a  real  home  is,  a  home  made  up  of 
Christian  parents  and  their  children.  Accord- 
ingly what  she  most  naturally,  and  most  gladly, 
would  do  for  her  own,  was  made  a  part  of  that 
which  it  was  most  necessary  to  do  for  others. 
Thus  her  home  life  should  be  made  a  preacher, 
whose  message  could  be  understood,  a  message 
the  same  in  every  language,  and  among  all 
peoples. 

But  in  addition  to  teaching  her  children, 
she  also  found  time  to  give  some  instruction 
in  the  schools.  It  had  been  her  original  pur- 
pose to  be  a  teacher,  and  she  was  glad  that, 
with  changed  circumstances,  she  was  not  obliged 
to  abandon  this  purpose  altogether. 

It  was,  however,  in  visiting  the  women  at 
their  homes  that  she  felt  that  she  was  doing 
her  most  direct,  if  not  the  most  important, 
work  as  a  missionary.  In  this  she  could  come 
in  intimate  contact  with  those  who  needed  to 
hear  of  Jesus  and  his  love.     She  also  had  her 


i 


IN  THE  HARNESS  AGAIN        115 

best  opportunity  to  sliow  the  sympathy  which 
she  yearned  to  have  the  poor,  and  often  suffer- 
ering,  women  know  that  she  felt  for  them. 
'Withal  she  tried,  as  far  as  she  could,  to  instruct 
them  in  respect  to  matters  that,  as  wives  and 
mothers,  they  so  much  needed  to  know.  She 
tried  to  tell  them  about  the  training  of  their 
children,  and  how  they  could  make  their  homes 
happier.  A  kind  and  cheering  word  for  a 
mother  she  always  had. 

The  teaching  of  the  women  to  make  beautiful 
lace,  and  the  giving  of  wages  for  the  same,  as 
affording  them  an  opportunity  to  get  something 
honestly  towards  their  living,  while,  at  the  same 
time  they  were  taught  of  Christ  as  their  Saviour 
and  Friend,  has  already  been  noticed.  Deep 
interest  in  this  undertaking  Mrs.  TJssher  never 
ceased  to  feel.  Time  and  effort  for  its  best 
success  she  never  ceased  to  give. 

Mrs.  TJssher  was  an  indefatigable  worker. 
She  planned  for  much,  and  no  small  obstacle 
could  prevent  the  carrying  out  of  the  plan. 
Many  times  in  great  bodily  weakness  and  pain 
she  would  keep  on  with  her  work,  saying  noth- 
ing of  herself.  Three  or  four  years  before  her 
death  she  unfortunately  slipped  on  the  ice  and 
fell,  breaking  the  lower  extremity  of  the  spinal 
column.    She  was  on  her  way  to  a  meeting  with 


116      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

the  women.  She  continued  to  go  on,  and  when 
she  reached  the  house  where  thej  had  met,  she 
sat  down  with  them  on  the  floor,  in  accordance 
with  their  custom.  But  when  she  attempted  to 
rise  she  could  not.  She  received  the  necessary 
surgical  attention,  but  at  times  she  suffered  a 
good  deal,  and  was  never  entirely  without  incon- 
venience from  the  injury.  Yet  she  continued 
to  do  her  work  very  much  as  before.  The 
strength  of  an  indomitable  will  came  into  play 
now,  as  so  many  times  before.  She  was,  how- 
ever, ever  ready  to  say,  "  The  Lord  is  the 
strength  of  my  life." 


XI 

AFFECTED  BY  THE  GEEAT  WAR 

ALTHOUGH  not  yet  in  the  path  of  con- 
tending  armies,  no  sooner  was  war  de- 
clared in  Europe  than  the  shadow  of 
coming  events  fell  upon  Van.  The  peoples  of 
Turkey  were  troubled.  An  order  went  forth 
for  the  mobilization  of  her  armies.  The  peasant 
farmer  heard  the  call,  and  he  must  leave  his  un- 
winnowed  grain  on  the  ground.  Men  of  all  the 
trades  must  drop  their  tools  without  an  hour 
of  delay.  The  Moslem  and  the  Christian  were 
alike  included.  Each  conscript  must  furnish 
himself  with  rations  for  five  days,  though  he 
might  leave  his  wife  and  children  without  food 
for  one  day.  Only  one  thing  was  to  be  con- 
sidered, and  that  was  instant  obedience  to  a 
suddenly  issued,  absolute  command.  A  man's 
own  condition,  or  the  health,  or  even  the  life, 
of  his  family  did  not  come  into  the  account. 
Many,  very  many,  families  were  left  in  a  des- 
titute and  suffering  condition. 
117 


118      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

And  it  is  also  to  be  noticed  that  almost  im- 
mediately unjust  diseriminaton  began  to  be 
made  in  the  ranks  of  the  soldiers.  The  Ar- 
menians were  singled  out,  disarmed,  and  made 
to  do  menial  service  in  the  camps.  Very  natur- 
ally abuse  of  many  kinds  would  follow  from 
those  whom  they  were  made  to  serve.  And  when, 
a  few  months  later,  Turkey  was  engaged  in  a 
formally  declared  war  with  her  powerful  foes, 
the  dishonoured  lot  of  her  Armenian  soldiers 
grew  still  more  unbearable.  It  was  perceived 
by  them,  and  also  by  those  left  at  home,  that 
this  was  doubtless  the  beginning  of  the  old  perse- 
cution of  their  race.  Nothing  less  than 
more  massacres  could  be  expected.  This 
made  the  condition  of  the  poor  families, 
bereft  of  their  bread  winners,  still  more  des- 
perate. 

Those  in  the  vicinity  of  Van  began  to  look, 
in  their  distress,  to  the  American  missionaries 
for  sympathy,  and,  if  possible,  for  some  mate- 
rial assistance.  But  as  the  war  went  on,  and 
means  of  communication  with  the  outside  world 
were  largely  cut  ofF,  it  became  difficult  for  the 
missionaries  to  procure  what  they  needed  for 
themselves.  They  were  reduced  to  borrowing 
money  from  merchants  in  the  city. 

And  so  it  came  to  pass  that  Mrs.  Ussher  was 


AFFECTED  BY  THE  GREAT  WAR      119 

obliged  to  stop  her  lace  work  when  the  poor 
workers  needed  it  most.  This  was  a  great  sor- 
row to  her.  She  could  not  possibly  pay  them 
their  hire  while  no  money  came  to  her  hand. 
War  in  Europe  prevented  her  from  giving  em- 
ployment to  the  starving  poor  in  far  off  Ar- 
menia. Surely  war  is  a  world-wide  calamity. 
Who  can  compute  its  losses?  who  can  know  its 
horrors  ?  The  missionaries  were  fast  approach- 
ing a  realization  that  these  questions  can  not  be 
answered.  They  had  hoped,  and  they  had 
prayed,  that  Turkey  might  not  get  involved  in 
the  mad  strife  of  the  nations;  but  now  they 
began  to  see  that  they  themselves  were  being 
drawn  into  the  outer  edge  of  the  insatiable  vor- 
tex of  destruction.  They  did  not  then  know 
that  they  were  at  last  to  be  subjected  to  the 
cruelties  of  its  unrestrained  fury.  During  these 
days  Mrs.  Ussher  wrote  "  We  do  not  fear 
any  personal  injury."  Alas,  all  the  injuries 
that  war  inflicts  are  not  confined  to  the  battle- 
field! 

But  the  suffering  of  the  people  in  and  around 
Van  did  not,  for  the  most  part,  result  from  a 
sudden  change  of  circumstances;  it  came  by 
gradual  approaches.  It  came,  as  food  among  the 
poorer  people  grew  less.  In  Eastern  lands  there 
are  always  some  who  are  well-to-do  among  the 


120      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

poor;  it  was  so  at  Van.  After  the  war  had 
been  in  progress  a  few  months,  Mrs.  Ussher 
writes : 

"  Yesterday  I  made  six  calls  on  our 
Y.W.C.A.,  and  others,  in  the  afternoon,  wading 
through  deep  mud  all  the  way;  so  you  see  that 
I  am  improving.  I  am  obliged  to  report  our 
dear  Miss  Bond  seriously  sick  with  what  appears 
to  be  typhus — the  dread  disease  which  we  hear 
Mr.  Stapleton  and  his  two  girls  have  now,  and 
which  is  raging  at  Erzroom.  We  have  re- 
cently taken  on  an  extra  force  of  nurses,  so, 
with  the  help  of  different  members  of  our 
station,  the  work  of  the  hospital  goes  on  as 
usual. 

"  We  have  lately  had  a  present  of  two  tur- 
keys, and  as  I  have  wanted  for  a  long  time 
to  be  able  to  entertain  the  six  young  men  of  our 
college  class,  I  am  planning  to  give  them  the 
birds  at  a  dinner  soon ;  also  having  their  faculty, 
with  their  wives,  come  in  later,  for  a  social 
time.  I  greatly  enjoy  my  Bible  lessons  with 
them,  as  they  are  bright,  responsive  fellows, 
eager  to  learn,  and  appreciative  of  what  they 
are  getting. 

"  Do  not  feel  anxious  about  us.  By  strict 
economy,  foregoing  some  things,  we  are  getting 


AFFECTED  BY  THE  GREAT  WAR   121 

along  very  comfortably.  We  have  great  occa- 
sion to  be  thankful  that,  as  a  family,  we  are 
keeping  so  well." 

Mrs.  Ussher  not  only  got  up  a  little  entertain- 
ment for  her  college  class  of  young  men,  by 
means  of  the  two  small  turkeys  given  her,  but 
she  also  taught  the  little  children  of  the  station 
to  share  their  good  things  with  their  mates.  A 
few  days  later  she  adds: 

"  The  younger  children  call  themselves  '  The 
Kindness  Club,'  and  they  try  to  carry  out  their 
idea  of  making  others  happy.  Last  Saturday 
they  gave  a  Christmas  party  to  fifteen  little 
Armenian  children,  and  had  a  most  jolly  time 
together. 

"  Conditions  are  in  statu  quo.  Armenian 
Christmas  calls  are  the  order  of  the  day.  The 
cold  weather  has  mercifully  kept  off  so  far  this 
winter.  Articles  in  The  Congregationalist 
and  Missionary  publications  are  true  to  life 
here." 

About  a  month  later  Mrs.  Ussher  puts  on  a 
postal  for  her  American  friends  (she  did  not 
dare  to  send  a  sealed  letter  because  of  the 
censor) : 


122      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

"  We  have  had  no  letters  from  you  for  a  long 
time,  no  papers  and  no  reliable  news;  we  are 
longing  to  know  what  is  going  on  in  the  world." 

In  a  letter  dated  the  last  day  of  January  she 


"  I  am  sitting  as  I  write  in  our  west,  open- 
roof  room,  keeping  watch  over  baby,  who  takes 
his  naps  up  here.  You  can  judge  by  this  how 
warm  it  is  for  this  time  of  year.  And  such  a 
beautiful  view  as  I  have  from  this  place ! 

"  To  the  north  is  the  irregular,  rugged  range 
which  we  call  Topra  Kala,  with  its  funny  little 
*  match-box '  on  its  most  commanding  peak ;  to 
the  south  are  the  more  regular,  lower,  snow- 
covered  hills,  only  broken  by  the  monastery  of 
The  Holy  Cross ;  while  the  whole  of  the  western 
horizon  is  filled  with  the  expanse  of  the  blue 
lake,  with  Castle  Rock  rising  abruptly  from  the 
intervening  plain. 

"  In  spite  of  the  hard  times  the  schools  have 
taken  in  more  than  five  hundred  dollars  for  the 
last  half  year.  This  will  help  considerably  to- 
wards the  teachers'  salaries,  and  also  shows  how 
eager  the  people  are  that  their  children  should 
have  an  education.  In  many  cases  the  small  tui- 
tion we  charge  means  real  self-sacrifice  on  the 


AFFECTED  BY  THE  GREAT  WAR      123 

part  of  the  parents.  We  feel,  however,  that  it  is 
better  for  them  to  try  to  help,  as  what  they  get 
free  is  never  appreciated.  The  same  thing  is 
so  true  in  the  medical  department  that  we  have 
as  a  rule  that  something,  even  though  it  be  but 
ten  paras  (one  cent),  must  be  given  for 
medicines. 

"  Of  course,  a  great  deal  is  given  to  the  poor, 
and  Clarence  never  refuses  a  real  charity  pa- 
tient. We  have  had  nothing  coming  in  from  out- 
side, except  aid  from  the  Red  Cross,  for  some 
months ;  and  we  are  very  thankful  that  so  far  all 
our  obligations  have  been  met.  Yet  I  confess 
that  the  future  does  look  dark  to  me  sometimes. 
For  personal  needs  we  have  to  borrow  from  the 
merchants,  as  there  is  no  way  to  receive  funds 
from  outside." 

In  a  letter  of  later  date,  she  speaks  of  being 
reduced  to  three  cents;  but  they  could  borrow, 
while  there  were  many  about  them  with  as  little 
money,  and  they  could  not  borrow.  And  when 
it  was  announced  to  them  from  the  mission 
treasurer  at  Constantinople  that  a  little  money 
had  come  for  them — being  gifts  from  friends  in 
America — and  she  was  able  to  announce  that 
the  lace  rooms  would  be  opened  again,  her  su- 
perintendent of  the  work — a  woman  who  could 


124.      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

be  trusted,  and  must  be  present  witb  the  less 
skilled  workers  all  the  time — cried  for  joy. 

In  another  letter  Mrs.  Ussher  says  that  the 
lace  factory  is  employing  again  its  full  quota 
of  a  hundred  girls;  but  in  receiving  these  they 
had  made  thorough  examination,  and  only  those 
who  were  actually  without  bread  had  been 
received. 

And  now  again  the  postals  were  cast  aside  and 
the  venture  made  to  write  in  sealed  letters.  But 
Bome  of  these  were  opened,  and  the  censor  evi- 
dently tried  hard  to  get  rid  of  what  seemed  to 
him  poor  English !  Yet  one  passage  which  he 
allowed  to  come  through,  contained  these  words : 

"  The  clouds  grow  darker  and  more  threaten- 
ing. However,  the  day  must  break  some  time. 
Tension  between  classes  is  more  in  evidence  than 
formerly.  Every  day  we  pray  that  the  city's 
present  peace  and  quiet  may  continue;  but  we 
shall  not  be  surprised  should  a  break  come  at 
any  time.  There  has  long  been  cause  enough 
for  it,  and  we  marvel  at  the  patience  and  self- 
control  of  certain  parties.  It  is  so  unsatisfac- 
tory to  be  limited  in  one's  conversation!  We 
shall  be  glad  when  we  can  talk  face  to  face,  shall 
we  not  ?  and  then  what  a  lot  we  shall  have  to  tell 
each  other !  " 


AFFECTED  BY  THE  GREAT  WAR   125 

The  last  letter  that  Mrs.  Ussher  received  from 
her  parents,  or  other  friends  in  America,  was 
dated  February  19th.  From  that  time  all  let- 
ters from  without,  for  Van,  failed  to  reach  their 
destination,  while  letters  from  within  were  re- 
ceived outside  with  some  degree  of  regularity. 
For  five  months  letters  were  written  weekly  to 
the  missionaries,  but  not  one  was  received. 

This  was  one  of  the  hard  conditions  of  liv- 
ing in  Van  at  this  time,  that  no  reliable  news 
could  come  from  without.  Even  local  news — 
news  from  Turkey  itself — it  was  hard  to  get. 
The  missionaries  knew  that  a  fearful  world 
conflict  was  going  on,  and  that  was  about  all. 
But,  with  this  uncertainty,  what  also  was  the 
condition  of  friends  at  home?  Were  they  sick 
or  well?  were  they  alive,  or  were  they  dead? 
One  near  friend  was  buried  in  the  family  lot 
with  little  Dorothea,  and  this  was  reported  in 
successive  letters,  but  none  of  these  were 
received. 


I 


XII 

THE  CONFLICT 

VAN   BESIEGED   BY   TUEKS,   DEFENDED  BY 
ABMENIANS 

]^  a  letter,  begun  on  the  8th  of  May,  Mrs. 
Ussher  wrote : 


"  If  you  received  my  post  card  of  April  19  th, 
our  last  post  day,  you  understood  that  trouble 
was  imminent.  It  has  come.  But  let  me  as- 
sure you  at  once  that  we  are  safe  so  far,  and  as 
well  as  could  be  expected  in  the  circumstances. 
Our  own  health  and  safety  seem  of  secondary 
importance,  except  as  they  affect  the  thousands 
around  us  who  look  to  us  for  both.  Would  that 
I  might  spare  you  an  account  of  these  last  three 
weeks!  I  have  started  several  times  to  write, 
but  simply  could  not  continue.  We,  however, 
owe  it  to  our  Armenian  friends — whom  we  are 
proud  to  call  such — to  let  you  know  a  little  of 
the  terrible  experiences  which  they  are  pass- 
ing through. 

126 


THE  CONFLICT  127 

"  Perhaps  I  may  give  you  a  more  properly 
connected  view  of  these  events  if  I  transcribe 
a  few  notes  from  my  diary : 

"  '  April  19th.  IN'ews  has  come  of  the  burn- 
ing of  the  villages  where  Miss  McLaren  has  so 
often  visited  the  schools.  Our  new  schoolhouse 
•has  gone  with  the  rest  of  the  buildings.  We 
have  tried  to  telegraph  to  the  consul  at  Harpoot, 
and  also  to  our  ambassador  at  Constantinople, 
and  although  receipts  were  given  for  the  tele- 
grams, we  learn  that  they  have  not  been  sent. 
The  Vali  has  promised  not  to  put  soldiers  within 
our  premises,  but  his  attitude  is  not  friendly. 
!We  know  that  the  fight  is  on. 

"  '  Miss  McLaren  and  Schwester  Martha 
have  been  working  in  the  Turkish  hospital,  in 
the  city,  for  five  months.  And  although  they 
are  only  two  miles  from  us,  we  are  able  to  get 
no  news  from  them.  'No  one  from  this  side 
can  safely  venture  beyond  the  line  of  the  revolu- 
tionary positions,  and  no  Turk  dare  show  him- 
self in  this  part  of  the  city. 

"  '  For  two  weeks  we  had  absolutely  no  news 
•when  an  old  woman,  holding  a  flag  of  truce, 
brought  a  letter  from  the  Vali,  in  which  he  gave 
assurance  that  the  two  ladies  were  well  and 
comfortable.    He  did  not  say  that  they  are  busy, 


128      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

but  we  think  they  are  from  the  number  of 
wounded  soldiers  reported.  One  woman  was 
killed  while  bearing  a  message,  with  a  white  flag, 
for  the  Italian  consul  to  the  Vali.  Another 
was  wounded  while  sitting  in  her  shed  on  our 
premises.  So  the  Armenian  leader  will  not  per- 
mit more  attempts  to  get  news.  We  do  not 
know  when  we  shall  hear  again  from  our  dear 
Miss  McLaren. 

"  '  April  20th.  The  Turks  began  the  strug- 
gle by  attacking  an  orphan  girl,  who,  with  sev- 
eral village  women,  was  trying  to  escape  to  the 
German  premises.  The  revolutionists  fired  to 
protect  her,  and  the  war  was  on.  This  occurred 
in  front  of  the  gate  of  the  German  compound, 
so  many  were  eye  witnesses  that  the  trouble  was 
initiated  by  the  Turks.  Although  the  Vali  calls 
it  a  rebellion,  it  is  really  an  effort  to  protect  the 
lives  and  the  homes  of  the  Armenians.  As 
such  it  has  our  sympathy  in  heart,  although 
in  action,  and  technically,  we  must  be  strictly 
neutral.  To  this  end  we  allow  no  armed  men 
to  enter  our  premises. 

"  '  There  has  been  constant  firing,  both  with 
rifles  and  cannon  and  now  at  night  a  perfect 
hail  of  bullets  is  falling  about  us,  but,  strange 
to  say,  with  scarcely  any  damage.     The  great- 


THE  CONFLICT  129^ 

est  harm  is  the  burning  of  Armenian  houses  in 
various  parts  of  the  city. 

"  *  We  have  applications  for  rooms  from 
many  families,  so  that  we,  as  it  were,  are  keep- 
ing a  hotel  with  some  seventy  guests.  Every 
room  from  the  attic  to  the  halls  is  piled  with 
goods  of  every  description.  Some  of  our  guests 
sublet  their  rooms,  and  ask  for  the  privilege  of 
staying  in  our  attic,  or  unoccupied  spots  in  our 
wood  room.  Of  course  we  are  rather  thick,  but 
we  are  glad  to  be  able  to  shelter  a  few. 

"  '  Our  own  family  are  all  together  in  the 
middle  bedroom,  which  is  baiTicaded  by  a  wall 
of  large  oil  cans  filled  with  earth.  This  shuts 
out  most  of  the  sunlight,  but  the  windows  are 
down  from  the  top  so  that  we  have  good  ventila- 
tion. The  sitting-room  windows  are  protected 
by  bags  of  flour  piled  up  on  the  wide  window 
sills,  and  a  triple  hanging  of  heavy  blankets 
across  the  windows,  to  keep  the  stray  bullets  out. 

"  '  April  21st.  Reports  come  to  us  of  the 
burning  of  village  after  village,  with  outrages 
upon  the  women  and  children,  and  the  shoot- 
ing of  the  men.  At  night  we  could  see  the 
light  of  fires  at  Artemid,  our  summer  home  on 
the  lake,  about  ten  miles  away,  and  at  other 
villages.     We  learned  later  that  our  caretaker 


130      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

at  Artemid  had  been  killed,  and  that  his  wife 
had  her  hand  cut  off  in  trying  to  save  him.  The 
house  had  been  looted,  nothing  left  inside,  but 
we  are  glad  that  the  house  itself  has  not  been 
burned. 

"  '  We  have  had  no  word  for  more  than  two 
weeks  from  the  less  than  one  hundred  Armen- 
ians who  are  defending  themselves  within  the 
walled  city.  As  we  have  seen  the  fires  raging 
there,  and  the  cannon,  as  they  were  fired  from 
Castle  Rock  directly  upon  the  roofs  of  the 
houses,  we  have  feared  the  worst.  But  we  learn 
that  the  Armenians  have  suffered  but  little  loss. 
The  thick  walls  of  their  houses  afford  excel- 
lent protection,  while  they  live  in  the  lower 
part. 

"  '  Since  the  burning  of  the  post  and  tele- 
graph offices  we  have  had  no  communication 
from  the  outside  world.  If  our  mail  is  ac- 
cumulating somewhere,  we  shall  have  a  pile  of  it 
when  it  finally  comes  through.  The  revolution- 
ists are  constantly  sending  runners  by  night 
to  the  border,  to  try  to  hasten  the  help  which 
has  been  so  long  promised  from  the  north.  We 
have  sent  the  same  message  by  them  at  three 
different  times.  We  have  felt  that  we  ought  to 
get  some  word  to  our  Government.  We  have 
written,   "  Internal   trouble  in  Van.   Ottoman 


THE  CONFLICT  131 

Government  threatens  to  bombard  our  premises. 
American  lives  in  danger.  Inform  American 
Government.  To  Americans,  or  any  foreign 
consul." 

"'April  22nd.  The  British  consulate  has 
been  burned.  Artemid  is  still  burning.  It  is 
reported  that  fifty  persons  have  been  killed  in 
this  village  alone.  We  try  to  keep  ourselves 
busy,  while  shut  up  in  the  house  all  day,  that 
we  may  the  better  bear  the  strain. 

"  '  April  23rd.  The  revolutionists  burned  a 
large  barracks  to-day,  but  the  soldiers  had  es- 
caped through  a  tunnel  dug  into  an  adjoining 
garden.  Some  supplies,  and  a  lot  of  flags,  were 
taken  as  souvenirs.  An  exploded  bomb  struck 
our  house. 

"  '  April  24th.  I  have  packed  two  trunks 
and  a  suit  case,  to  have  ready  what  would  be 
most  needed,  should  our  premises  be  bombarded, 
as  the  Vali  threatened  that  they  should  be,  or  if 
they  should  get  afire. 

"  '  April  26th.  In  accordance  with  the  ad- 
vice of  the  Italian  consul,  we,  at  much  pains, 
made  an  Italian  flag,  to  hoist,  if  it  should  seem 
to  be  needed,  over  our  buildings.  But  the  Vali 
forbade  our  making  such  use  of  it.  In  the  even- 
ing, at  our  English  service,  we  sang  such  hymns 
as  "  0  God,  our  help  in  ages  past,"  "  God  moves 


132      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

in  a  mysterious  way,"  and  "  Peace,  perfect 
peace."  I  never  realized  before  how  much  such 
hymns  could  mean  to  us. 

"  '  We  have  been  marvellously  protected  from 
these  flying  bullets.  Of  course  we  can  not  tell 
how  much  the  Vali's  threat  to  bombard  our 
premises  may  mean.  He  is  very  angry  with  us 
for  befriending  the  rebels,  and  unless  pressure 
is  brought  to  bear  upon  him  from  outside,  we 
shall  not  be  surprised  at  any  turn  his  cruel 
fanaticism  may  take.  Still  we  are  not  disturbed 
in  spirit. 

"  '  The  firing  is  always  worse  at  night,  so  our 
sleep  is  disturbed ;  but  during  the  day  we  work 
as  usual,  and  indeed  much  more  than  usual  as 
the  sick  and  the  poor  need  so  much  attention. 
It  is  a  marvel  how  Clarence  stands  the  strain. 
He  has  141  patients  in  the  hospital,  and  a  host 
outside  among  the  refugees,  who  need  food  more 
than  they  need  medical  advice.  Yet  they  beg 
him  to  treat  them.  As  no  Turkish  doctor  dare 
show  his  head  in  this  quarter,  he  is  the  only 
one  to  look  after  them  all.  At  least  twenty 
babies  have  been  born  in  the  hospital  during 
these  three  weeks. 

"  '  I  am  now  to  help  in  one  of  the  outside 
refuges,  where  there  are  many  sick.  So  I  shall 
have  to  give  up  Neville's  lessons,  which  will  not 


THE  CONFLICT  133 

be  a  bad  thing,  as  he  is  so  busy  helping  on  the 
premises. 

"  '  April  27th.  A  small  band,  escorting  a 
company  of  2000  women  and  children,  from  the 
villages  of  the  Hiatzsoor  region,  surrounded  a 
band  of  Kurds,  killed  sixteen,  took  their  rifles, 
and  brought  their  own  people  in  safety  to  Varak 
monastery,  where  there  is  plenty  of  food. 

"  '  To-day  a  cannon  ball  struck  the  church, 
near  the  front  door,  but  did  little  harm.  These 
thick  mud  walls  are  a  fine  protection. 

"'April  28th.  The  Italian  consul  called 
and  advised  our  sending  a  messenger  to  the 
border  as  soon  as  possible.     This  we  did. 

" '  April  29th.  Snow,  cold,  mud.  Three 
Turkish  positions  taken.  One  hundred  and  five 
cannon  balls  fired  with  little  eifect. 

"'April  30th.  A  party  of  200  cavalry 
and  foot  soldiers  attacked  Varak  and  Shushantz 
villages,  but  were  repulsed. 

"  '  May  1st.  First  bright  day  for  a  week. 
Sharp  firing  in  various  directions.  Our  near- 
est village,  Sukhkar,  burned.  A  man  killed  on 
our  premises  by  a  stray  bullet. 

"  '  May  2nd.  Another  Sunday  which  seems 
little  like  Sunday. 

"  '  May  3rd.  Fighting  on  the  outer  defenses. 
Armenians  have  the  advantage. 


134      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

"  '  May  4th.  A  band  of  Bitlis  Kurds,  wear- 
ing the  white  turban,  gained  control  of  a  line 
of  new  trenches,  and  were  dislodged  with  diffi- 
culty. One  of  our  nurses  recklessly  exposed 
himself  and  was  killed  by  shrapnel. 

"  '  May  5th.  More  refugees  arrive.  A  bullet 
passed  between  two  women  standing  on  our  east 
open  roof.  Armenians  first  used  their  home- 
made mortar  for  throwing  dynamite  bombs. 
Were  successful.  It  is  now  more  than  two  weeks 
since  fighting  began  in  the  city,  and  the  Armen- 
ians have  the  advantage.  By  this  you  see  that 
the  Vali  has  not  succeeded  in  his  diabolical  pur- 
pose to  wipe  them  out  in  three  days.  He  must 
be  surprised  at  such  unheard-of  resistance.  But 
the  Armenians  say  that,  if  they  are  finally  over- 
powered, the  Turks  shall  pay  dearly  for  their 
victory. 

"  '  There  is  a  strong  resistance  made  in  the 
city,  for  it  is  expected  that  the  Russians  will  soon 
come  to  our  assistance.  But  in  the  defence- 
less villages  the  story  is  very  different.  There 
the  tragedy  is  too  awful  to  be  described.  It  is 
nothing  but  systematic  and  wholesale  massacre. 
There  is  first  the  killing,  and  then  the  taking 
of  prisoners,  and  sending  them  to  the  head  of 
the  Armenians  to  be  fed.  In  this  way  it  is 
expected  that  starvation  will  finish  the  slaugh- 


THE  CONFLICT  136 

ter.  It  is  now  evident  that  there  was  a  well- 
laid  plan  to  wipe  out  all  the  villages  of  the 
vilayet,  and  then  crush  the  city  rebels. 

"  '  Before  the  trouble  began  here,  many  of 
the  outlying  villages  had  been  burned,  and  the 
inhabitants  killed  or  driven  away.  So  from  the 
first  our  refugees  were  villagers,  some  from  a 
distance.  So  when  our  premises  could  hold  no 
more,  the  houses  near  by,  and  protected  by  the 
positions  held  by  the  revolutionists,  were  also 
filled.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are  at  least 
10,000  fugitives  who  are  being  fed  by  us  in  the 
gardens.  It  is  impossible  to  give  an  adequate 
idea  of  their  condition.  Fleeing  without  time 
even  to  collect  their  food,  they  come  to  us  bare- 
foot, ragged,  hungry,  and  half  sick  from  expo- 
sure and  fear. 

"  '  Many  of  the  Turkish  soldiers  are  averse 
to  this  butchery;  so  the  Vali  has  prom- 
ised plunder  and  glory  to  the  lawless 
Kurds,  who  are  nothing  loath  to  do  his 
will.  One  morning  forty  women  and  chil- 
dren, dying  or  wounded  from  Turkish  bullets, 
were  brought  to  our  hospital.  Littles  ones  cry- 
ing pitifully  for  their  mothers  who  had  been 
killed  while  fleeing,  and  mothers  mourning  for 
their  children  whom  they  had  been  obliged  to 
leave  behind  on  the  plains.     Sometimes  when 


136      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

the  mother  was  carrying  one  and  the  father  an- 
other older,  they  could  not  manage  the  third  one. 
Can  any  one  imagine  a  condition  more  pitiable 
than  that  these  parents  were  in!  Oh,  I  could 
tell  you  stories  that  would  simply  break  your 
heart.  It  is  needless  to  harrow  your  feelings, 
but  there  are  two  little  waifs,  sitting  now  in  the 
sun,  in  our  yard,  about  whom  I  must  tell  you. 
They  were  found  near  our  garden  gate  this 
morning,  crying  from  cold  and  hunger.  The 
older,  a  girl  about  five  or  six,  had  carried  her 
two-year-old  brother  on  her  back  from  the  Varak 
monastery,  which  had  been  a  refuge  for  2000 
villagers  before  the  Turks  burnt  it  up  yester- 
day morning.  Their  mother  who  had  two  other 
children  to  bring,  had  left  them  and  they  fol- 
lowed on  alone  as  best  they  could.  They  spent 
the  night  on  the  plain  alone,  and  why  they  did 
not  freeze  I  can  not  see,  for  the  baby  had  ab- 
solutely nothing  on  him  but  a  ragged  cotton 
shirt.  The  night  was  very  cold.  Their  hands 
and  feet  were  blistered  and  sore,  and  they  were 
so  hungry  that  we  could  not  get  a  word  from 
them  till  after  they  had  had  a  bath,  a  warm 
breakfast,  and  some  clean  clothes.  Their  mother 
has  not  appeared,  and  several  persons  are  hunt- 
ing for  her. 

"  '  One  of  the  refugees  is  the  "  Road  Church 


FLEEIiXG    FKOM     .MASSACRE 


THE  CONFLICT  137 

Dove,"*  who  had  to  flee  with  her  father-in-law, 
leaving  her  two  children  with  their  grand- 
mother. She  came  in  two  weeks  ago,  and  she 
did  not  know  till  yesterday  whether  or  not  her 
children  were  among  those  who  had  their  throats 
cnt  by  Turks  when  her  village  was  burned.  Yes- 
terday, at  the  command  of  the  Vali,  the  rest 
of  the  women  and  children  of  that  village  were 
brought  to  the  city  to  be  fed.  This  is  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  plan  to  make  so  many  mouths 
to  fill  that  the  food  will  fail.  Aghavni  was  de- 
lighted to  see  her  boy  again,  a  beautiful  child 
of  four  years,  whose  first  word  was :  "  I'm  hun- 
gry." She  then  asked  about  the  five-year-old 
sister,  only  to  be  told  that  she  had  died  on  the 
way!  Aghavni's  husband  obeyed  the  summons 
to  join  the  army  some  months  ago,  and  now  no 
one  knows  where  he  is.'  " 

These  extracts  from  Mrs.  Ussher's  diary  give 
only  a  glimpse  of  a  few  of  the  deeds  of  un- 
speakable cruelty,  visited  upon  many  thousands 
of  innocent  Armenians,  by  the  Turkish  Gov- 
ernment in  its  effort  to  crush  those  of  that  peo- 


*  The  First  Congregational  Church  in  Stonington, 
Conn. — often  called  the  Road  Church — for  a  series  of 
years  supported  a  girl  in  the  school  at  Van.  This  girl's 
name  was  Aghavni,  meaning  in  Armenian,  Dove. 


138      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

pie  who  were  righteously  trying  to  defend  them- 
gelves— their  families  and  their  firesides.  The 
effort  is  to  show  how  the  author  of  these  notes 
was  related  to  these  events. 


XIII 
FAITH  IN  EXERCISE 

LOOKING  POSSIBILITIES  IN  THE  FACE 

TO  be  brought  into  great  and  imminent 
peril  involves  a  certain  test  of  character. 
It  may  be  a  very  severe  test.  And  in  ac- 
cordance with  one's  course  of  action  in  such  cir- 
cumstances, there  is  often  said  to  be  a  show- 
ing of  bravery,  or  of  weakness.  Such  judgment, 
however,  may  not  be  wholly  correct ;  there  may 
not  be  opportunity  to  understand  the  whole  mat- 
ter. It  may  not  be  possible  to  see  what,  to 
the  view  of  the  one  put  in  jeopardy,  is  included 
in  the  danger,  which  he  must  meet,  or  from 
which  attempt  to  escape.  This  in  regard  to 
one's  self  personally.  But  if  what  we  do  or  what 
we  fail  to  do,  subjects  others,  who  are  depend- 
ent upon  us,  to  danger — it  may  be  to  great  loss, 
or  even  to  death  itself — the  question  at  once 
broadens  in  its  scope,  and  to  decide  what  we 
should  do  becomes  far  more  difficult.  The  ques- 
tion no  longer  remains  in  the  field  of  simple 
139 


140      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

ethics.  Or  if  it  does,  there  is  crowded  into  it 
that  which  is  of  infinite  moment.  The  deepest 
and  tenderest  love  which  is  possible  to  our 
human  nature  may  be  involved. 

Such  was  the  case  with  the  missionaries  at 
Van,  when  they  were  shut  up  to  a  cruel  and 
relentless  bombardment  of  their  homes  by  the 
Turks.  They  could  present  no  defense  of  them- 
selves and  their  little  children  but  the  flag  of 
their  country,  and  that  was  being  riddled  and 
torn  by  the  bullets  of  their  enemy.  The  bomb- 
shells were  entering  their  dwellings.  Shrapnel 
was  tearing  to  pieces  the  furniture  of  their  bed- 
rooms. Cannon  balls  were  falling  on  their 
premises.  To  minister  to  the  sick  and  suffering 
exposed  them  to  the  possibility  of  death  at  any 
moment.  They  had  known  very  well  in  what 
condition  they  might  be  placed ;  they  had  known 
that  by  harbouring  and  caring  for  the  suffer- 
ing Armenians  they  were  incurring  the  deadly 
hatred  of  the  local  government.  Should  they 
not  then  have  made  provision  for  the  safety 
of  their  ovni  little  ones,  while  they  might  do 
the  best  the  circumstances  would  allow  for  the 
great  crowds  gathered  about  them  ?  They  had 
hoped  that  they,  and  those  whom  they  were 
trying  to  protect,  might  find  deliverance  from 
the  awful  fate  which  a  general  massacre,  upon 


DK.   USSHEK  S   LATER   HOME 


In  one  corner  of  this  house  the  children  were  gathered,  trying 
to  escape  the  bursting  shells. 


FAITH  IN  EXERCISE  141 

their  premises,  would  involve.  But  that  hope 
was  fast  becoming  a  forlorn  one.  They  had 
tried  to  send  word  to  possible  friends  coming 
to  their  relief,  but  in  vain.  Those  who  were 
bravely  defending  themselves  against  the  com- 
mon enemy  could  not  hold  out  indefinitely. 
Should  the  missionaries  have  allowed  themselves 
to  be  left  in  such  a  plight  ?  Was  it  right  ?  Yes, 
it  was  right.  They  did  not  waver  in  their  de- 
cision. They  were  where  God  in  his  providence 
had  placed  them,  and  they  would  not  flee.  They 
had  had  no  thought  of  it  from  the  first.  Do  you 
ask,  How  did  the  fathers  and  mothers  feel  as 
they  looked  upon  those  dear  little  children,  or 
pressed  them  to  their  hearts!  No  answer  can 
be  given.  Even  those  who  have  passed  through 
such  hours  of  waiting  can  not  tell  the  story.  Its 
meaning  no  words  can  convey.  It  can  not  be 
within  the  thought  of  those  who  have  not  had 
the  experience. 

The  days  were  indeed  growing  dark.  The 
missionaries  often  met  together  to  mingle  their 
thoughts,  and  to  speak  to  the  one  Friend  who 
could  save.  They  would  sing  together  some  of 
the  old  hymns,  written  in  times  of  persecution 
and  danger,  and  they  found  in  them  a  fullness 
of  meaning  never  before  perceived.  So  the 
hours  passed.     The  possibility,  of  which  they 


142      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

could  not  speak  to  the  confiding  little  ones, 
seemed  more  imminent.  They  strained  their 
eyes  towards  the  distant  horizon.  Was  there 
any  sign?  There  was  none.  It  was  only  to 
wait. 

And  while  they  waited  before  Him  who,  not- 
withstanding all,  they  were  fully  persuaded  was 
still  "  mighty  to  save," — while  the  hours  of  that 
Sabbath  day,  which  should  be  a  day  of  cheer  and 
rest,  amid  the  roar  of  hostile  guns  sank  slowly 
into  deepening  gloom,  suddenly,  as  if  an  answer- 
ing voice  from  heaven,  deliverance  came!  A 
message !  The  Turks  were  leaving  their 
trenches!  They  were  fleeing!  A  rumour  had 
reached  their  ears.  A  Russian  force  was  near. 
Escape  they  must.  So  the  long  siege  was  raised. 
Wild  rejoicing  was  everywhere,  and  "  songs  of 
deliverance  "  filled  the  air. 

For  the  first  time  in  their  life  the  Armenians 
felt  that  they  were  relieved  from  the  hand  of 
a  cruel  master.  They  set  up  a  government  of 
their  own,  and  began  to  try  to  restore  some  of 
their  ruined  homes.  Business  began  to  revive. 
The  missionaries  reopened  their  schools.  Large 
stores  of  grain  and  ammunition  were  found. 
The  great  crowds  of  Armenian  refugees  left  the 
mission  premises.  But  there  was  still  much 
work  to  be  done.     After  a  multitude  of  such 


FAITH  IN  EXERCISE  143 

people  had  been  living,  huddled  together  on  the 
mission  compound,  much  must  be  done  to  re- 
store proper  living  conditions. 

In  looking  back  upon  the  last  days  of  the 
siege  of  Van,  when  indiscriminate  slaughter  of 
all,  parents  and  children  together,  seemed  just 
at  hand,  we  catch  an  imperfect  glimpse — for  it 
can  be  only  such — of  what  it  was  to  be  in  such 
an  awful  condition;  what  then  must  we  think 
of  the  poor  mother,  who,  driven  from  her  home, 
takes  in  her  hurried  flight,  a  babe  in  her  arms,  a 
small  child  on  her  back,  and  another,  a  little 
older,  must  be  left  to  wander  along  alone  upon 
the  dreary  plain,  till  exhausted  from  crying  and 
fear  and  hunger,  it  lies  down  to  die ! 

Do  we  wonder  that  the  missionary  mothers, 
who  were  in  the  midst  of  such  scenes,  took  for 
their  motto,  "  Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens 
and  so  fulfill  the  law  of  Christ  "  ?  Do  we 
wonder  that  they  should  have  done  thus,  though 
it  may  in  some  cases  have  cost  them  their  own 
lives  ?  The  remainder  of  our  sketch  will  afford 
an  illustration. 


XIV 

"  BUT  I  SAY  UNTO  YOU,  LOVE 
YOUR  ENEMIES  " 

WHEN  the  Turks  gave  up  the  siege  and 
fled  for  their  lives,  they  left  some  of 
their  number  in  the  city.  There 
were  old  men,  women,  and  children  that  they 
did  not  take  along  with  them.  Besides,  there 
were  women  and  children  left  in  the  Moslem 
villages  that  the  Russian  soldiers  were  "  clean- 
ing out."  These  were  left  to  the  revenge  that 
the  Armenians,  who  had  suffered  such  terrible 
cruelty  at  the  hands  of  the  Turks  and  Kurds, 
would  be  sure  to  take.  Some  of  these  could  not 
be  expected  to  take  a  magnanimous  view  of  the 
situation,  but  smarting  under  unspeakable 
wrongs,  would  be  sure  to  exact  "  an  eye  for  an 
eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth."  So  on  the  leav- 
ing of  the  5000  Armenian  refugees  for  their 
homes,  about  1000  Turkish  refugees  were  taken 
in  their  place.  A  letter  which  Mrs.  Ussher 
wrote  at  this  time  includes  a  setting  forth  of  the 
situation : 

144 


"  LOVE  YOUR  ENEMIES  »         145 

"  I  think  there  will  he  no  harm  in  sending 
off  weekly  letters,  althongh  we  have  little  assur- 
ance that  jou  will  ever  receive  them.  Our  only 
postal  system  as  yet  is  what  we  have  through  the 
courtesy  of  the  Russian  and  Armenian  soldiers, 
who  include  our  letters  with  theirs,  sent  by  pri- 
vate messenger  to  the  border.  ]N"othing  is  com- 
ing in  to  us.  Our  latest  word  from  you  was 
dated  February  19th  and  was  received  just  two 
months  ago.  How  we  long  to  hear  from  you, 
and  also  to  get  something  more  than  rumours 
about  the  great  European  war !  We  can  not 
tell  whether  our  cablegrams  have  reached  Bos- 
ton, or  whether  you  are  in  anxiety  about  us.  We 
hope  not. 

"  It  seems  queer  enough  to  go  into  the  city 
and  not  meet  a  single  Moslem  there.  But  we 
have  enough  of  them  here.  One  thousand  Turk- 
ish women  and  children  have  taken  the  place  of 
our  5000  Armenian  refugees.  When  they  were 
here  we  thought  we  had  our  hands  full,  but 
that  problem  was  as  nothing  compared  with 
the  situation  confronting  us  now.  These 
thousand  fugitives  would  all  have  been 
killed  had  we  not  opened  our  doors  to  them. 
They  w^ere  driven  like  cattle  to  our  prem- 
ises. 

"  Since  one  week  ago  yesterday  we  have  been 


146      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

feeding  tliis  hungry  multitude,  or  rather  have 
given  them  what  small  rations  we  could  find 
from  our  own  funds.  lS[ow  this  source  of  sup- 
ply has  given  out,  and  what  to  do  about  it  we 
don't  know.  To  turn  them  out  would  mean 
certain  death  to  them.  The  villagers  have  no 
fields  nor  animals  left.  The  city  refugees  have 
only  the  blackened  ruins  of  their  burned  houses. 
To  let  them  stay,  as  they  want  to,  in  spite  of 
conditions,  means  that  more  and  more  will 
sicken  and  die.  Hundreds  are  sick  with  a  dread- 
ful form  of  dysentery;  others  have  influenza, 
and  measles  attack  the  children.  We  have 
bought  forty  quarts  of  milk  a  day,  which,  with 
some  water  mixed,  I  dole  out,  a  cupful  each, 
to  the  babies,  sick  children,  and  mothers.  It 
takes  four  hours  to  heat  the  milk  and  distribute 
it  by  billet.  The  eagerness  with  which  they  push 
around  the  pails  shows  how  hungry  the  poor 
creatures  are.  Besides  the  milk,  they  have  two 
pieces  of  bread  a  day,  and  meat,  when  we  can 
get  it.  It  is  hard  to  get  food  even  at  exorbitant 
prices. 

"  It  would  be  almost  impossible  to  give  you 
an  idea  of  the  hatred  the  Armenians  have  for 
these  refugees.  We  can  not  wonder  that  they 
resent  all  the  cruelty  that  the  Moslems  have 
heaped  upon  them;  but  many  of  these  Moslem 


«  LOVE  YOUR  ENEMIES  »        147 

■women  hate  Jevdet  Beg  as  intensely  as  the  Ar- 
menians do.  And  they  are  not  responsible  for 
the  actions  of  the  government.  They  occupy 
what  was  formerly  the  orphanage  building, 
and  four  rooms  of  the  old  school  house  for 
boys. 

"  Their  condition  is  better  imagined  than  de- 
scribed. Lying  as  they  do  on  bare  boards,  and 
helpless  and  hopeless  when  they  become  sick, 
many  succumb.  It  is  simply  heartrending  not 
to  be  able  to  do  more  for  them.  We  have  emp- 
tied our  dispensary  of  medicines  for  them.  Mrs. 
Yarrow  and  Miss  Silliman  superintend  giving 
them  baths  (as  many  as  are  well  enough)  at  the 
rate  of  forty  or  fifty  a  day.  This  job  is  hard 
and  expensive,  as  wood  is  dear,  and  the  only 
soap  obtainable  that  which  we  had  bought  for 
the  boarding  department  of  the  boys'  school. 
This  has  now  to  be  given  up,  as  almost  all  of 
the  boys'  fathers  have  been  killed,  and  they  must 
go  home  to  care  for  mothers  and  sisters  in  the 
villages. 

"  It  seems  almost  hopeless  to  prescribe  for 
our  sick,  for  they  die  at  the  rate  of  seven  or 
eight  a  day.  And  as  the  weather  grows  hotter 
the  case  will  be  worse.  But  we  are  doing  what 
we  can,  and  surely  some  help  will  come  some 
time.      I   have   not   mentioned   Miss   Bogers's 


148      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

share  of  this  burden;  besides  her  school 
duties,  she  dresses  the  wounds  of  about 
twenty-five  every  other  day,  also  distributing 
medicines. 

"  Besides  my  work  of  feeding  with  the  milk, 
I  am  trying  to  get  a  room  in  some  sort  of  con- 
dition for  the  sickest  ones  to  use.  We  can  not 
call  it  a  hospital,  but  I  hire  a  Turkish  woman 
to  look  after  the  sick,  so  far  as  she  is  able,  and 
as  soon  as  possible  I  will  have  ten  wooden  bed- 
steads put  up  for  the  neediest  ones.  The 
mattresses  for  these  beds  are  to  be  made  of  the 
beds  brought  with  the  sick  Turkish  soldiers,  re- 
covered with  clean  gingham. 

"  Our  hospital  continues  to  be  full  of  Ar- 
menians, Turks,  and  Russians.  The  latter  have 
no  field  hospitals,  and  so  send  to  us  all  the 
wounded  we  can  take." 

There  were  other  features  of  this  stupendous 
task  of  trying  to  care  for  a  thousand  refugees, 
many  of  whom  were  exceedingly  filthy  and 
feeble,  many  sick,  and  of  these  a  large  number 
dying  daily.  But  I  will  quote  here  from  an- 
other of  the  missionaries  who  has  written  of 
these  days  of  anxiety  and  of  exhaustive  effort. 
Miss  Knapp,  in  her  booklet,  "  The  Mission  at 
Van." 


"  LOVE  YOLTR  ENEMIES  "         149 

"  The  effect  on  its  followers  of  the  religion  of 
Islam  was  never  more  strongly  contrasted  with 
Christianity.  While  the  Armenian  refugees  had 
been  mutually  helpful  and  self-sacrificing,  these 
Moslems  showed  themselves  absolutely  selfish, 
callous,  and  indifferent  to  each  other's  suffering. 
Where  the  Armenians  had  been  cheery  and 
hopeful,  and  had  clung  to  life  with  wonderful 
vitality,  the  Moslems,  with  no  faith  in  God,  with 
no  hope  for  the  future,  bereft  now  of  hope  in 
this  life,  died  like  fleas  of  the  prevailing  dysen- 
tery, from  lack  of  stamina  and  the  will  to  live. 

"  The  situation  became  intolerable.  The  mis- 
sionaries begged  the  Russian  general  to  send 
these  people  out  to  the  villages,  with  a  guard  suf- 
ficient for  safety,  and  flocks  to  maintain  them 
till  they  could  begin  to  get  their  living  from  the 
soil.  He  was  too  much  occupied  with  other  mat- 
ters to  attend  to  us. 

"  After  some  time  the  Countess  Alexandra 
Tolstoi  (daughter  of  the  famous  novelist)  came 
to  Van  and  took  off  our  hands  our  '  guests,' 
though  they  remained  on  our  premises.  She  was 
a  young  woman,  simple,  sensible,  and  lovable. 
We  gave  her  a  surprise  party  on  her  birthday, 
carrying  her  the  traditional  cake  with  candles 
and  crowning  her  with  flowers.  She  declared 
she  had  never  had  a  birthday  so  delightfully 


150      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

celebrated  in  all  her  life.  She  worked  hard  for 
her  charges.  When  her  funds  gave  out  and  no 
more  were  forthcoming,  and  her  Russian  helpers 
fell  ill,  she  succeeded  where  we  had  failed,  and 
induced  the  general  to  send  the  Turks  out  into 
the  country  with  provision  for  their  safety  and 
sustenance." 

The  Armenian  people,  as  a  whole,  would  not 
have  wished  to  injure  these  poor  Moslem 
mothers  and  their  children ;  but  there  were  those 
whose  natural  feelings  of  revenge  would  have 
prompted  them  "  to  get  even  "  with  the  men  who 
had  inflicted  upon  them,  as  a  nation,  such  fear- 
ful sufferings.  So  the  work  of  the  missionaries 
was  for  the  good  of  both  parties,  those  who 
would  have  inflicted  retaliatory  suffering  upon 
the  comparatively  innocent,  and  their  victims. 

This  gave  the  missionaries  a  rare  opportunity 
to  show  the  wondrous  love  of  the  Christ  whom 
they  served,  and  whose  spirit  of  self-sacrifice 
they  would  try  to  illustrate.  The  families  of  the 
Turks  who,  at  the  command  of  Jevdet  Beg,  had 
bombarded,  and  tried  to  kill  the  missionaries 
with  their  children, — in  return  for  this,  by 
means  of  a  most  extraordinary  effort,  long  con- 
tinued, and  involving  work  of  great  natural  re- 
pulsiveness,  they  tried  to  save ;  and,  as  a  result, 


«  LOVE  YOUR  ENEMIES  "        151 

several  of  their  number,  contracting  typhus, 
were  brought  to  death's  door— being  rescued  as 
by  miracle — and  the  precious  life  of  one  was 
blotted  out. 


XV 

THE  PAKTING 

ONE  of  the  severest  trials  of  foreign  mis- 
sionaries results  from  the  necessity  of 
sending  their  children  to  the  homeland 
for  an  education,  while  they  themselves  remain 
in  the  field.  It  often  involves  virtually  a  life 
separation ;  or,  at  least,  till  the  parents,  from  old 
age,  are  obliged  to  leave  their  work.  The  time 
had  come  when  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Ussher  must  part 
with  their  first  born,  a  lad  of  fourteen  years. 
Their  plan  for  sending  him  to  America  had  been 
maturing  for  some  months,  and  only  the  war 
had  prevented  its  being  earlier  carried  out.  But 
for  this,  about  a  month  after  the  Russians  took 
possession  of  Van,  an  unexpected  opportunity 
presented  itself. 

A  gentleman,  a  newspaper  correspondent,  and 
a  man  who  could  speak  the  Russian  language, 
who  happened  to  aiTive  at  Van,  and  was  to 
leave  in  a  few  days  for  the  north,  could  take 
the  boy  with  him  as  far  as  Moscow.  This  seemed 
to  be  a  chance  too  good  to  be  missed.  So  prep- 
153 


THE  PARTING  153 

arations  were  hastily  made.    Miss  Silliman  also 
was  to  go.    At  this  time  Mrs.  Ussher  writes : 

"  Just  now  we  happen  to  have  a  visitor,  an 
Associated  Press  correspondent,  who  has  lived 
in  Russia,  and  knows  the  country  and  the  lan- 
guage well.  He  is  to  return  there  soon,  and 
he  offers  to  take  Miss  Silliman  and  ISTeville  with 
him  as  far  as  Moscow.  It  has  left  us  very  little 
time  to  prepare  for  the  journey,  but  we  have  de- 
cided that  they  start  to-morrow  morning.  They 
wish  to  get  off  early,  and  it  is  almost  midnight 
now.  You  can  easily  imagine  that  we  have  had 
a  strenuous  day.  But  I  can  not  let  !N^eville  go 
without  at  least  a  word  to  you.  He  will  tell  you 
what  would  take  me  hours  to  write.  In  addi- 
tion to  packing  for  him,  and  getting  the  food 
box  ready,  I  have  had  the  whole  station  here 
at  dinner.  So  you  must  excuse  me  for  my  hur- 
ried writing. 

"  I  don't  allow  myself  to  think  of  Neville's 
leaving  us  to-morrow.  The  separation  has  come 
so  suddenly  at  last.  Perhaps  it  is  best  so.  The 
hard  part  will  be  that  I  shall  not  know  for  so 
long  a  while  whether  he  has  reached  you  safely 
or  not.  We  have  not  yet  decided  upon  the  route 
from  Tiflis  or  Moscow.  They  may  be  able  to 
get  through  by  Roumania   and   Italy.      They 


154      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

may  have  to  cross  Siberia.  They  certainly  have 
a  prospect  of  interesting  experiences. 

"  Clarence  is  going  to  take  a  day  off  to-mor- 
row, and  he  and  I  shall  take  ISTeville  in  our  cart, 
while  the  other  children  will  go  out  in  the  foor- 
goon  of  the  outgoing  party,  and  come  back  in 
the  other  carts.  We  shall  probably  go  out  about 
three  hours  (nine  or  ten  miles)  and  have  our 
lunch,  returning  towards  evening.  Our  trav- 
ellers will  ride  in  a  springless  foorgoon,  which 
carries  their  goods  as  well  as  themselves. 

"  It  will  not  be  very  long  now  before  we,  that 
is,  our  family,  will  be  making  plans  to  see  you. 
Get  Seville  to  give  you  all  a  kiss  and  a  hug 
for  me. 

"  We  can  get  no  word  from  Miss  McLaren, 
who  was  taken  away  with  the  wounded  soldiers 
when  the  Turks  fled  in  a  panic  towards  Bitlis. 
We  have  telegraphed  to  Petrograd,  and  have 
tried  to  get  messages  to  her,  but  her  whereabouts 
are  absolutely  unknown.  We  do  not  even  know 
whether  she  is  dead  or  alive.  The  suspense 
is  wearing,  but  we  try  to  assure  ourselves  that 
she  and  Schwester  Martha,  her  companion  are 
too  valuable  to  the  Turks  to  be  injured." 

The  farewell  words,  and  the  committing  to 
the  Heavenly  Father's  care,  by  the  parents,  of 


THE  PARTING  155 

the  dear  boy,  about  to  make  an  uncertain  jour- 
ney, among  a  strange  people  in  a  strange  land, 
where  there  was  war,  and  at  best  obstacles  in 
the  way  of  travel,  can  not  be  pictured  in  our 
thoughts,  much  less  described.  As  we  try  to 
think  of  it,  our  hearts  swell  with  emotions  of  an 
unusual  sympathy,  and  that  is  all. 

In  a  letter  of  date  ten  days  later,  the  anxious 
Mother  says  she  can  hear  nothing  from  her  boy ; 
but  she  supposes  the  party  may  have  reached 
Moscow.  It  was  really  in  Tiflis  where  Miss 
Silliman  was  lying  sick  with  a  mild  attack  of 
typhus.  And  there  also  the  correspondent  of  the 
press,  who  was  to  be  the  necessary  guide  as  far 
as  Moscow,  was  suspected  by  the  military  au- 
thorities, and  not  allowed  to  go  further. 

After  more  than  a  week  of  delay  for  strength 
to  proceed,  the  young  missionary  lady  and  her 
boy  companion  went  on  alone.  Without  any 
one  who  knew  them,  and  without  a  knowledge 
of  the  language  of  the  country,  they  made  their 
way  safely — only  having  a  pair  of  shoes  stolen 
— up  through  to  Archangel,  where  they  found  a 
boat  to  sail  immediately  for  America.  They 
passed  up  into  the  arctic  zone,  north  of  Iceland, 
amid  the  fogs  and  icebergs,  and  then  down  on 
the  coast  of  Greenland,  to  New  York. 

At  the  news  of  their  safe  arrival,  there  was 


156      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

mucli  rejoicing  among  their  many  friends,  but 
the  Mother  never  heard  from  her  boy!  And 
it  was  little  suspected  by  those  who  so  gladly 
welcomed  him  that  she  had  already  been  for 
many  days  removed  from  all  necessity  of  get- 
ting news  from  him.  It  is  not  certain,  however, 
that  she  did  not  know  all  about  him;  but  not 
from  any  means  or  ways  of  which  we  may  have 
any  conception. 


XVI 

LAST  DAYS 

AS  conditions  in  the  city  and  the  gardens 
had  become  almost  imbearable,  so  many, 
in  a  wretched,  filthy  plight,  had  sickened 
and  died,  filling  the  air  with  pestilential  odors, 
and  also  whooping  cough  having  broken  out 
among  the  children,  it  was  decided  to  take  those 
who  seemed  to  need  some  change  most,  down 
to  Artemid,  for  fresh  air  and  a  better  chance  for 
recovery. 

Concerning  this  outing,  and  the  preparation 
for  it,  we  may  learn  in  part  from  the  letter  of 
Mrs.  Ussher  to  her  absent  boy  of  whose  where- 
abouts and  condition  she  knew  nothing  at  all. 
She  did  not  even  know  whether  he  had  lived 
to  reach  America.  But  she,  with  Dr.  Ussher 
also,  was  sick  in  bed  with  what  afterwards 
proved  to  be  the  dreaded  typhus.  The  anxious 
mother  said  to  her  boy  that  she  would  write 
her  first  letter  from  Artemid  to  him.  There  is 
more  than  a  suspicion  that  she  may  even  then 
ihave  been  apprehensive  that  it  might  be  her 
157 


158      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

last  letter.    It  was  so.    It  was  dated  July  5tli, 
1915. 

"  My  darling  Neville : 

"  My  first  letter  from  Artemid  shall  be  to 
you,  my  dear  boy.  It  seems  so  strange  to  be 
here  without  you,  as  you  always  enjoyed  this 
place  so  much.  Last  Tuesday  I  came  down  with 
three  Turkish  women  and  Movses,  the  carpenter, 
and  we  did  what  we  could,  from  nine  o'clock 
till  five,  to  make  this  place  inhabitable.  But 
you  ought  to  have  seen  the  downstairs  room! 
The  day  after  Mr.  Yarrow,  Miss  Bond  and  I 
came  down  to  lock  up  the  house,  etc.,  Antraneg 
came  to  this  village  and  the  surrounding  dis- 
trict, with  three  or  four  thousand  sheep.  A  con- 
venient way  to  count  the  sheep  was  to  pass  them 
through  the  front  door  of  our  house,  through 
the  dining  room  and  kitchen,  and  so  out  the  back 
door.  As  this  was  done  for  ten  nights,  you  can 
imagine  the  condition  of  the  rooms.  We  couldn't 
clean  the  floors,  even  with  a  shovel.  When 
Hyganoosh,  Beverly  and  I  came  down  the  next 
evening,  we  soaked  the  floors;  and  by  working 
five  solid  hours  the  next  day,  and  with  the  use 
of  great  quantities  of  water,  we  were  able  to 
make  the  boards  clean. 

"  The  next  day  Father  brought  Eleanor  and 


LAST  DAYS  159 

Sydney  down,  and  took  me  back  to  the  city  for 
the  lace  work — closing  the  accounts.  That  night 
we  returned.  Father  hoped  to  go  back  to  the 
city  this  morning,  but  for  some  time  he  has 
been  exhausted,  and  Saturday  was  taken  sick, 
and  has  been  in  bed  since.  His  trouble  is  in- 
fluenza and  fever.  As  he  is  better  to-day  I  hope 
he  will  soon  be  strong  again. 

"  The  interesting  part  of  it  is  that  I  was  taken 
sick  with  much  the  same  trouble,  so  we  are  in 
bed  together;  and  I  am  not  strong  enough  to 
WTite  much  this  time.  We  shall  both  be  all 
right  before  long.  Auntie  Grace,  with  Boghos 
came  down  this  morning  to  take  care  of  us,  al- 
though she  had  planned  to  Avait  till  after  the 
school  hantess,  day  after  to-morrow.  After  that 
Auntie  Gertrude  and  Auntie  Buff  will  probably 
come  down.  The  Yarrows  don't  want  to  come 
yet.  Marian  is  caring  for  her  sick  boy,  at  the 
Germans' ;  and  the  family  have  no  flour  till  they 
can  get  their  wheat  ground. 

"  I  hope  you  do  not  expect  regular  letters  from 
us.  Only  as  we  send  them  by  occasional  trav- 
ellers to  Russia  can  we  be  sure  of  them.  The 
military  post  refuses  to  take  any  more  letters 
for  us,  and  the  Armenians  have  not  started  a 
regular  route.  It  will  doubtless  be  a  long  time 
before  weekly  mails  are  possible. 


160      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

"  This  letter  is  taken  by  the  Countess  Tol- 
stoi, who  will  leave  as  soon  as  she  can  get  the 
Turkish  refugees  off  to  the  villages.  The  Gen- 
eral is  at  last  as  anxious  as  we  to  get  them  to  a 
healthier  place,  and  is  hurrying  them  off — the 
well,  the  sick,  and  the  dying.  It  is  about  time, 
for  in  spite  of  all  that  can  be  done  for  them,  they 
are  dying  at  the  rate  of  about  twenty  a  day. 
The  upper  building  is  practically  ruined  by 
their  misuse  of  it.  Baron  Stepan  declares  that 
the  walls  are  unsafe,  and  that  the  floors  are 
saturated. 

"  The  Russian  Relief  Committee,  which 
promised  so  much,  now  says  no  more  relief  nor 
helpers  can  be  sent,  so  the  Countess  is  going 
right  home  from  here.  Your  party  probably 
missed  hers  at  Perigree,  as  you  stayed  at  dif- 
ferent places. 

"  We  wish  we  knew  where  you  are,  and  what 
experiences  you  have  had.  Won't  you  have  a 
lot  to  write  to  us  about !  We  do  hope  you  keep 
well,  and  did  not  come  down  with  whooping 
cough  on  the  route.  The  three  children  still 
cough  badly,  especially  at  night. 

"  Earnest  Yarrow  has  come  down  with 
whooping  cough,  and  his  father  and  mother  are 
not  well.  Otherwise  our  station  members  in 
the  city  are  as  usual.     We  get  little  news  of 


LAST  DAYS  161 

fighting  near  Bitlis.  That  place  will  probably 
soon  be  taken,  as  the  Turks  have  been  pushed 
beyond  Sarp,  and  Tadvan  has  been  seized.  'No 
word  yet  from  Auntie  Kate. 

"  I  know  you  will  share  this  with  the  family 
circle,  as  I  am  not  strong  enough  to  write  more 
now.    Stepan  leaves  in  a  little  while  for  the  city. 

"  Much  love  to  yourself,  and  to  all  the  others, 
from  us  all." 

"  Mother." 

The  pen  which  had  written  so  many  hun- 
dreds of  letters  was  now  laid  down. 

Mrs.  Ussher  grew  more  seriously  ill,  and  her 
disease  was  seen  to  be  typhus.  Dr.  Ussher  was 
in  the  same  condition,  and  it  became  necessary 
that  the  two  patients  occupy  separate  rooms.  He 
became  so  weak,  both  mentally  and  physically, 
that  he  gave  little  heed  to  what  was  passing 
around  him.  He  had  the  fever  combined  with 
pneumonia. 

She  being  utterly  exhausted  at  the  outset, 
failed  rapidly,  and  it  was  seen  that  she  could 
not  resist  the  disease.  At  times  she  was  mildly 
delirious.  During  a  lucid  interval,  she  called 
her  little  girl,  Eleanor,  to  her  bedside,  and  not 
disguising  the  fact  that  she  knew  she  must  leave 
her  dear  ones,  she  committed  them  to  the  care 


162      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

of  her  younger  sister  in  the  homeland,  charging 
her  little  daughter  to  be  a  good  girl,  and  to  give 
her  love  to  the  aunt  that  was  henceforth  to  be  as 
her  new  mother.  Her  strength  continued  to 
fail  till,  on  July  14th,  she  passed  into  the 
higher  life. 

Miss  Knapp  was  unwearied  in  her  care  of 
Mrs.  Ussher,  and  Miss  Rogers,  and  also  of  Dr. 
Ussher,  for  five  days,  alone,  when  Miss  Bond, 
being  able  to  leave  her  own  patients  in  the  city, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yarrow,  came  to  her  relief. 

Dr.  Ussher  was  now  too  ill  to  have  any  knowl- 
edge of  what  was  occurring.  For  two  weeks  it 
was  not  deemed  safe  to  inform  him  of  his 
dreadful  loss. 

The  children  were  kept  away,  as  well  as  might 
be,  from  the  infectious  disease  in  the  house,  and 
from  a  knowledge  of  what  was  transpiring.  The 
body  of  their  Mother  was  taken  away  without 
their  knowledge,  as  was  supposed.  They,  how- 
ever, did  have  some  inkling  of  the  facts ;  and 
Eleanor  said  she  was  well  aware  that  her  Mother 
had  died.  But  it  was  not  thought  best  that  they 
should  look  upon  the  features  that  were  still 
pleasant  in  death. 

The  body  was  at  once  taken  to  the  city  for 
burial.  Mrs.  Raynolds,  as  one  of  the  last  of  her 
countless  acts  of  loving  sympathy  for  suffering 


LAST  DAYS  163 

friends,  being  herself  counted  among  the  num- 
ber needing  to  be  comforted,  assisted  by  Dr. 
Ussher's  sister,  lined  the  casket  with  pure  white 
cloth,  and  deposited  the  precious  remains  within 
it.  They  then  covered  it  with  sweet  peas — one 
of  Mrs.  Ussher's  favourite  flowers.  And  after  a 
brief  service  of  words  of  tenderness  and  respect 
by  the  Armenian  preacher,  all  that  was  mortal 
of  the  loved  one  was  committed  to  its  kindred 
dust. 

Mrs.  Eaynolds  was  then  little  aware  that,  in 
a  few  short  days,  she  herself  would  follow 
her  young  associate,  in  the  work  at  Van,  to  the 
home  of  the  blessed — to  the  peaceful  rest  of 
those  who  have  earned  their  reward. 


XVII 
THE  RETURN  OF  THE  ENEMY    , 

THE  freedom  of  the  Armenians,  and  their 
control  of  matters  in  Van,  after  the  flight 
of  the  Turks,  soon  came  to  an  end.  The 
Ottoman  forces  that  had  been  pushed  back,  after 
a  little,  recovered  from  their  defeat,  having 
received  large  reinforcements,  and  returned  to 
claim  their  old  places,  and  to  inflict  revenge. 
The  Russians  vpere  short  of  ammunition,  and  in 
no  condition  to  retain  their  advantage.  So  re- 
treat was  their  only  alternative.  Now  they 
must  flee.  They  informed  the  missionaries,  and 
bade  them  escape  without  delay.  They  must 
forsake  everything ;  they  had  hardly  time  to  take 
even  proper  clothing  for  their  journey.  All  that 
was  precious  to  them  in  their  homes  must  be 
left  for  loot  or  destruction.  If  they  could  pro- 
cure some  means  for  the  carrying  of  the  sick, 
and  the  feeble,  and  the  children,  they  would 
be  fortunate.  Everything  had  been  "  requisi- 
tioned," and  what  should  they  do  ?  It  was  an 
164 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  ENEMY     165 

hour  to  try  the  strongest  nerves,  to  say  nothing 
of  such  as  had  been  reduced  to  great  weakness, 
by  care  and  watching,  by  overwork,  and  sleep- 
less nights. 

Dr.  Ussher  had  barely  recovered  a  little  from 
a  combination  of  most  serious  diseases,  and  was 
so  weak  that  he  must  be  carried  on  a  stretcher, 
with  great  doubt  as  to  the  result.  There  were 
others  who  were  still  very  weak  from  typhus, 
and  seven  little  children.  One  of  these  was  only 
a  babe.  Some  food  must  be  taken  with  them 
or  they  might  starve  on  the  road.  For  these 
unfortunate  missionaries  the  problem  was  such 
that  all  the  future  seemed  to  be  crowded  into 
it.  In  their  desperation  the  Red  Cross  came 
to  their  assistance.  These  angels  of  mercy  fur- 
nished some  ambulances,  and  in  other  ways  re- 
lieved the  situation.  Mr.  Yarrow,  rescued  as 
from  the  grave,  was  carried  in  one  of  these. 
The  long  journey  was  begun.  It  was  nearly 
two  hundred  miles  before  they  would  reach  the 
railroad  running  to  Tiflis,  which  place  was  their 
objective.  Some  were  obliged  to  walk,  some  of 
the  children  even,  along  beside  the  teams.  Their 
feet  became  blistered  and  sore.  Some  of  the 
ladies  were  obliged  to  drive  horses,  which  were 
not  the  most  gentle.  It  was  from  a  wagon,  the 
horse  attached  to  which  was  restless,  that  Mrs. 


166      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

Raynolds  felt  obliged  to  descend,  when  she  frac- 
tured her  limb.     She  suffered  much  from  it. 

They  were  attacked  by  Turks  and  Kurds, 
who  fired  upon  the  party,  from  the  hills  beside 
the  way.  There  was  then  hurrying  with  all  pos- 
sible speed  to  get  beyond  the  reach  of  the  bul- 
lets. Some  were  in  the  wagons,  some  afoot. 
Sad  it  would  be  for  any  left  behind.  Many 
thousands  of  Armenians  also  were  crowding  on 
in  this  dreadful  exodus.  Old  and  feeble  ones 
were  not  able  to  start  with  the  rest,  or,  if  they 
did  so,  could  not  keep  up,  and  they  were  all 
killed.  But  at  last  the  railroad  was  reached, 
and  then  Tiflis.  It  was  like  a  miracle  of  gra- 
cious protection  that  none  of  the  band  of  mis- 
sionaries, with  their  little  children,  perished  by 
the  way. 

Dr.  Ussher  endured  the  strain  of  the  escape 
much  better  than  it  was  thought  he  could.  And 
after  reaching  Tiflis,  he  was  again  sick  unto 
death,  as  it  seemed,  but  he  recovered,  and,  with 
the  rest,  finally  reached  the  homeland.  We  are 
sadly  obliged,  however,  to  make  one  exception. 
The  dear  Mother  of  missionaries  at  Van,  and 
the  friend  of  the  friendless,  during  the  many 
years  of  her  missionary  life,  succumbed,  in  her 
exhausted  condition,  to  the  wearing  weariness 
of  the  long  journey,  and  the  crushing  of  her 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  ENEMY     167 

fondly  cherished  hopes.  She  went  to  join,  in 
heavenly  blessedness,  her  younger  missionary 
sister  in  the  work  of  saving  the  perishing,  and 
who  had  not  lived  to  share  her  experiences  in 
this  last  tragedy. 

News  was  received  of  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Ussher  before  the  arrival  of  the  missionary 
party.  Her  many  associates  and  friends,  of  an 
earlier  or  a  later  date,  hastened  to  assure  her 
parents  of  their  common  grief  at  the  loss  of 
one  whom  they  had  so  dearly  loved.  These 
many  missives,  all  repeating  essentially  the 
same  thing,  were  a  great  surprise. 

At  Northfield  Seminary  a  tablet,  dedicated 
to  the  memory  of  their  former  pupil,  was  un- 
veiled. The  public  exercises  of  the  occasion 
were  of  marked  interest,  and  left  a  deep  im- 
pression upon  the  minds  of  the  young  ladies 
there.  Among  others  who  made  addresses,  Mrs. 
Yarrow  of  Van,  spoke  with  deep  emotion  of 
the  life  of  her  associate : 

"  Mrs.  Ussher  is  not  dead ;  she  can  not  die. 
Her  life  to  me  stands  out  radiant  and  glorious, 
as  a  forest,  touched  with  hoar  frost,  becomes 
a  sight  of  wondrous  beauty.  Her  motherhood 
was  beautiful.  I  always  looked  upon  her  as  a 
model  in  the  conduct  of  her  home  and  children. 


168      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

"  And  also  in  the  busy  mother  and  home- 
maker  there  was  developed  a  quite  unusual  abil- 
ity to  plan  and  carry  through  a  project  which 
demanded  careful  account  keeping,  a  good,  level 
head,  and  a  plenty  of  American  push.  She 
started  a  new  industrial  work  in  Van  to  meet 
the  great  need  of  employmnt  for  women  and 
girls.  This  lace  industry  was  a  great  success. 
It  gave  decent  emplojnnent  to  a  large  number 
of  women,  paid  for  itself,  and  often  had  a  sur- 
plus for  other  branches  of  labour.  Mrs.  Ussher 
not  only  managed  the  girls,  and  the  thousands 
of  yards  of  lace  they  made,  but  she  also  got 
the  market  for  the  output. 

"  Some  time  ago  she  fell  on  the  ice,  on  her 
way  to  the  lace  house,  injuring  her  back  very 
seriously.  For  months  she  was  often  in  hard 
pain.  But  she  never  spoke  of  herself,  and 
least  of  all  of  her  suffering. 

"  I  remember  how,  one  Easter  morning,  as 
we  started  out  on  our  day's  calling,  according 
to  the  beautiful  Armenian  custom,  it  came  to 
me  as  a  shock,  when  some  one  said,  '  Mrs. 
Ussher  is  not  calling  to-day.'  I  knew  how  bad 
her  back  must  be  to  keep  her  from  calling ;  and 
yet  so  cheerful  and  natural  had  she  seemed, 
that  no  one  would  suspect  the  intensity  of  the 
pain  she  was  enduring. 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  ENEMY     169 

"  To  try  to  save  the  starving  Mohammedan 
women  and  children  was  a  harder  task  than 
anything  we  had  knowTi  before ;  but  Mrs.  Ussher 
took  hold  of  this  new  job  with  the  same  never- 
to-be-downed  spirit  that  came  over  in  the  May- 
flower. The  sight  of  little  children  dying  from 
slow  starvation  filled  her  whole  soul  with  im- 
pelling sympathy.  At  one  time  she  took  two 
little  babies  to  her  home,  and  cared  for  them 
as  tenderly  as  if  her  own.  So  she  loved  the 
people  to  whose  redemption  she  had  given  her 
life.  I  think  it  would  not  have  been  an  un- 
pleasant thought  to  her  that  her  last  resting 
place  should  be  among  them. 

"  And  so  we  left  her  there.  But  I  do  not 
think  of  her  as  dead  in  the  deserted  graveyard 
of  the  city  she  loved,  now  destroyed.  I  think  of 
her  as  she  lived — a  mother,  sweet,  bright,  whole- 
some. I  think  of  her  as  the  missionary,  whose 
deep,  loyal  love  for  the  Master  made  her  '  count 
it  all  joy '  to  do  hard,  seemingly  impossible, 
things,  and  to  do  them  cheerfully.  Elizabeth 
Barrows  Ussher !  Her  glory  was  in  losing  her 
life  to  find  it." 

Mrs.  Sue  Norton  Sterrett,  a  Northfield 
student  and  for  some  time  a  missionary  at  Van, 
writes : 


170      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

"  Two  characteristics  come  to  mind  and  stand 
out  prominently  as  I  think  of  Mrs.  Ussher  in 
her  life  at  Van — her  self-forgetfulness  and  the 
indefatigable  spirit  with  which  she  worked.  She 
gave  unstintingly  of  herself  and  was  ever  think- 
ing of  the  pleasure  and  comfort  of  others,  and 
ever  doing  numberless  things  to  help  them,  even 
though  tired  and  suffering  herself,  so  that  one 
seeing  her  cheerfulness,  would  not  guess  her 
physical  weakness.  She  was  a  real  homemaker, 
a  wise  and  devoted  mother,  a  kind  hostess,  and 
a  leader  in  work  among  women  and  the  poor 
and  the  needy. 

"  In  addition  to  home  duties,  she  had  school 
with  her  children,  attended  and  led  meetings  for 
women,  made  calls  at  their  homes,  and  carried 
on  a  lace  business,  with  at  times  a  hundred  or 
more  workers,  with  whom  she  maintained  per- 
sonal relations.  Besides  superintending  the 
lace-making,  she  had  charge  of  the  accounts  and 
correspondence,  and  also  of  preparing  the  lace 
for  shipment. 

"  She  did  her  full  share  and  more.  It  would 
have  been  natural  and  excusable  had  she  neg- 
lected letter-writing,  but  she  was  a  faithful  cor- 
respondent. I  am  sure  that  many  besides  my- 
self have  enjoyed  her  letters.  In  one  of  these 
she  asked  me  to  go  to  Van,  and  I  am  deeply 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  ENEMY     171 

thankful  that  she  did.  It  was  a  great  privilege 
to  live  and  work  with  her,  and  the  other  mem- 
bers of  that  happy  circle. 

"  She  was  a  person  of  marked  ability,  never- 
theless she  did  not  lean  upon  her  own  strength, 
but  on  the  Lord  whom  she  loved  and  served 
devotedly,  for  whose  sake  she  laid  down 
her  life." 

Miss  Knapp  also  writes : 

"  Mrs.  Ussher  literally  laid  down  her  life — 
not  for  her  friends  in  the  earthly  sense  of  that 
word — but  for  members  of  the  race  that  shortly 
before  had  threatened  her,  and  all  those  that 
she  loved,  with  a  merciless  death.  As  she  had 
worked  for  the  sick  Armenian  refugees  in  her 
overflow  hospital,  during  the  siege,  so  she 
w'orked  for  the  Moslem  refugees  after  the  siege. 
She  performed  the  most  menial  service  for 
them,  shrank  from  no  loathsomeness  when  she 
could  relieve  suffering;  was  unfailingly  pitiful, 
and  patient,  and  tender.  She  took  motherless 
babies  into  her  home,  and  cared  for  them  as  if 
her  own  until  she  could  find  homes  for  them. 
She  had  especial  tenderness  for  all  little 
children. 

"  As  a  teacher  her  keen  intellect,  her  zest  for 


172      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

knowledge  and  research,  her  rich  stores  of 
original  thought,  deeply  and  permanently  in- 
fluenced her  pupils.  As  a  mother  she  was  ideal, 
as  a  friend  loyal,  and  helpful,  and  loving.  In 
every  relation  of  life,  with  her  unswerving  devo- 
tion to  duty,  her  unflinching  fortitude  under 
suffering,  and  her  forgetfulness  of  self,  she 
showed  forth  the  Christ  within  her.  Her  life 
was  a  shining  forth  of  His  glory;  it  was  a 
strain  of  heavenly  music,  every  note  true,  and 
strong,  and  sweet,  and  inspiring. 

"  Her  grave  is  now  unmarked  and  lonely ; 
but  we  hope  that  beside  it  will  soon  rise,  as  a 
fitting  memorial  of  her  self-sacrifice,  a  hospital 
which  will  minister  to  the  physical  and  spiritual 
needs  of  a  sorely  stricken  people." 


XVIII 

IS  THE  WORK  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN- 
ENDED  AT  DEATH? 

IT  seems  to  be.  And  if  so,  some  questions 
arise  which  are  answered  with  difficulty. 
Why  does  death  come  so  soon  to  many  who 
are  best  of  all  fitted  to  do  good  ?  Side  by  side 
with  these  are  individuals  whose  aim  does  not 
seem  to  be  to  help  others  to  have  and  enjoy  the 
best  things.  Indeed  there  are  many  whose  lives 
appear  to  be  self-centred ;  who  do  not  make 
the  world  any  better  for  their  living  in  it.  They 
have  even  made  it  much  worse,  and  do  not 
seem  disposed  to  change  their  ways  of  living. 
Such  often  continue  in  the  world,  to  the  world's 
injury,  while  the  persons  whose  lives  are  filled 
with  benevolent  activity,  are  in  their  youth 
taken  from  it. 

Why  then  under  the  beneficent  government 
of  God,  who  desires  all  men  to  be  saved,  is  the 
injurious  man  permitted  to  stay  in  the  world, 
while  the  man  who  does  the  world  good  is  not  ? 
If  it  were  to  save  the  wicked  man,  there  would 
173 


174      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

seem  to  be  some  reason  for  such  a  state  of 
things,  but  it  is  the  testimony  of  observation 
that  the  longer  a  person  lives  in  this  world  the 
less  he  is  inclined  to  make  any  radical  change 
in  the  ways  and  ends  of  living. 

Why  is  the  active,  devoted  young  person  who 
"  works  righteousness,"  often  the  first  to  be  cut 
off  by  death?  From  the  earliest  times  this 
seems  to  have  been  so.  Abel  died,  Cain  lived. 
According  to  the  generally  accepted  record,  it 
would  not  seem  that  it  was  good  for  the  rest 
of  mankind  that  Cain  should  live.  Would  not 
Abel  have  been  a  desirable  person  to  have  lived 
long  among  others,  a  blessing  to  all  ? 

Why  did  young  Jonathan  die  on  Mount 
Gilboa  ?  Was  not  the  world  then  sadly  in  need 
of  all  who  would  show  to  others  the  sweetness 
of  pure  and  loving  friendship? 

Why  was  young  Stephen,  who  would  have 
continued  to  be  a  help  and  an  encouragement 
to  others  through  his  bold  witnessing  for  Jesus, 
and  whose  face  was  as  the  face  of  an  angel, 
doomed  to  have  that  sweet  face  bruised  and 
battered  unto  death  by  the  stones  of  the  insane 
Sanhedrin?  Was  there  not  then  sore  need  of 
just  such  men  as  he  ? 

And  when  a  little  later  a  delicate  Christian 
woman  like  Perpetua,  was  thrown  into  the  arena 


IS  THE  WORK  ENDED  AT  DEATH?  175 

to  the  lions,  was  there  no  power  on  earth  or 
ill  heaven  to  save  her  alive  ?  The  world  could  ill 
afford  to  lose  such  a  witness  to  the  truth  as 
was  she. 

Was  not  the  life  of  John  Huss  of  far  greater 
value  to  the  world  than  that  of  his  persecutors  ? 
.Why  should  there  be  a  power  that  could  prevent 
his  ever  doing  more  for  mankind  ? 

And  coming  to  later  times,  note  the  many 
who  have  begun  their  work  of  trying  to  save 
men  only  to  end  it!  Did  they  thus  do  all? 
Had  it  been  forbidden  that  they  should  do  more 
of  that  Avhich  their  loving  hearts  had  prompted 
them  to  begin  ? 

How  was  it  with  Henry  Martyn  when  he 
laid  down  his  wondrous  young  life  at  Toeat? 
Had  he  done  all  ?  Had  Mrs.  Harriet  Atwood 
Newell,  when  she  reached  the  Isle  of  France 
only  to  die  there  ?  Had  Mrs.  Mary  Hawes  Van 
Lennep,  at  Constantinople  ?  And  shall  we  ask 
concerning  Adams  who  when  dying  in  Africa, 
soon  after  his  arrival,  had  a  vision  of  Africa 
redeemed  ?  Should  he  not  have  stayed  to  as- 
sist in  its  redemption?  Could  he  stop  just 
there,  and  do  nothing? 

And  shall  we  ask  for  the  thoughts  and  the 
longings  of  heart,  of  a  Chapin  in  India,  a 
Pitkin  in   China,   a  Merriam   in  Bulgaria,   a 


176      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

Giles  at  Cesarea,  or  a  Lobdell  at  Mosul  ?  They 
were  only  permitted  to  begin  the  work  they 
loved.  And  further,  to  speak  of  Labaree,  of 
Rogers,  of  Holbrook,  of  Leslie — what  shall  we 
say?  All  that  they  had  they  gave  in  loving 
devotion,  facing  danger  and  death  in  the  path 
of  duty.  Had  they  done  all  that  they  set  out 
to  do?  Could  they  be  satisfied  with  no  oppor- 
tunity to  do  more  ? 

And  had  Mrs.  Ussher  accomplished  as  much 
as  she  so  fondly  hoped  to?  At  one  time  when 
attacked  with  a  sudden  and  serious  illness, 
she  wrote: 

"  I  did  not  feel  as  if  I  could  go  then,  I  had 
done  so  very  little." 

When  at  last  she  had  reached  the  end,  did 
she  feel  any  better  satisfied  with  what  she  had 
accomplished  ?  Probably  not.  The  more  one 
does  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  here  on  earth, 
the  more  he  sees  that  must  be  done;  and  the 
more  eagerly  he  would  have  a  part  in  it. 

Is  it  then  possible  that  the  dying  saint,  com- 
ing to  the  end  of  his  service  of  God  here,  enters 
upon  a  life  of  inactivity  and  repose?  Such  a 
thing  can  not  be  reasonably  supposed.  It  would 
do  violence  to  the  very  constitution  of  our  being. 


IS  THE  WORK  ENDED  AT  DEATH  ?     177 

It  would  not  be  felicity ;  it  would  not  be  enjoy- 
ment. Is  it  not  then  the  only  reasonable  sup- 
position that  when  the  Christian,  passing 
through  the  gate  of  death,  enters  into  a  higher 
life,  he  at  the  same  time  enters  into  a  broader 
field  of  usefulness  ?  Instead  of  being  cut  off, 
in  his  youth  or  in  the  midst  of  his  days,  com- 
paring his  present  with  his  past,  it  may  be 
said  that  he  has  now  begun  that  service  of  his 
God,  in  his  gracious  and  glorious  kingdom,  in 
which  alone  he  can  fulfill  the  purpose  of  his 
creation. 

And  where,  and  for  whom,  shall  this  his 
higher  service  be  rendered  ?  Will  it  be  for  some 
beings,  in  some  of  God's  "  many  mansions " 
far  away,  and  before  unknown?  May  we  not 
rather  believe  that  it  will  be  rendered  to  the 
dear  ones  left  on  earth,  and  to  the  multitudes 
that  should  be  saved  ?  "  Are  they  not  all  min- 
istering spirits,  sent  to  minister  to  them  who 
shall  be  heirs  of  salvation  ?  "  We  are  not  to 
think  that  they  who  have  passed  on  before  us, 
cease  to  know  anything  of  us,  and  can  not  in 
any  way  help  us.  It  is  probable  that  they  can 
render  us,  in  our  attainments  in  the  spiritual 
life,  a  far  more  important  service  than  was 
possible  while  they  were  here  with  us  in  the 
body;  and  that  the  sphere  of  their  activity  has 


178      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

been  immeasurably  enlarged.  How  was  it  with 
Jesus,  our  Lord  Christ  ?  His  being  is  a  mys- 
tery, far  beyond  our  comprehension.  But  at  the 
same  time,  we  may  know  some  things  concern- 
ing him.  God  dwelt  in  him ;  he  was  what  we 
may  know  of  God  as  our  Father  and  Friend; 
but  he  was  really  and  truly  a  man.  As  a  man 
he  had  a  human  body,  subject  to  human  limita- 
tions. But  he  said  unto  his  disciples,  "  It  is 
expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away."  After  that 
he  would  come  again,  not  to  be  with  a  few  only, 
as  in  the  body,  but  to  be  everywhere  present; 
the  sphere  of  his  activity  to  be  changed  from 
the  finiteness  of  his  bodily  existence  to  the  in- 
finitude of  his  own  eternal  life.  After  that 
He  could  not  only  be  present  with  His 
believing  ones  everywhere,  but  He  could 
do  for  His  then  present  disciples  what  while 
in  the  body  He  could  not.  It  was  profitable 
for  them,  and  also  profitable  for  the  whole 
world,  that  He  pass  through  the  change  of 
death. 

And  shall  not  the  experience  of  those  he  was 
graciously  pleased  to  call  His  brethren,  because 
made  in  the  image  of  God,  and  possessing  the 
spirit  of  God  as  their  essential  life,  be  in  some 
respects  like  His  ?  Shall  they  not  also  be  able 
to  do  more  for  the  salvation  of  others,  after 


IS  THE  WORK  ENDED  AT  DEATH  ?     179 

they  have  passed  into  the  glorious  possibilities 
of  their  eternal  state  ? 

Do  we  ask  how  this  can  be?  We  can  not 
know.  Jesus  is  not  seen  now  as  He  was  seen 
by  His  disciples  when  in  the  body.  But  those 
who  are  His  now  know  more  of  Him  than  they 
did  who  were  with  Him  when  in  the  body.  We 
know  not  the  process  by  which  we  are  enabled 
to  enter  into  the  fellowship  of  Christ  in  the 
spiritual  life.  There  is  nothing  which  we  can 
see,  or  hear,  or  handle  with  our  hands.  But 
we  do  know  the  reality  of  it.  There  is  nothing 
in  the  possible  assistance  given  to  us  by  our 
departed  friends,  which  we  can  see  or  hear  or 
handle  with  our  hands ;  but  it  may  be  just  as 
real  as  the  presence  of  Christ. 

Would  we  might  see  our  dear  ones  in  their 
present  broader,  higher,  and  holier  sphere  of 
activity!  But  let  us  devoutly  thank  God  for 
them  as  they  are — and  wait. 


XIX 

WAS  IT  LIFE  THROWN  AWAY,  OR 
ACHIEVEMENT— WHICH  ? 

IT  is  not  in  human  nature  to  wish  to  incur 
the  disrespect  of  mankind.  Even  such  as 
have  become  confused  in  their  thought  of 
what  is  worthy  of  the  approval  of  others,  can 
hardly  hold  life  desirable,  if  all  these  show  that 
they  think  there  has  been  a  fatal  mistake,  and 
that  the  consequent  failure  is  alone  the  fault  of 
the  one  who  has  suffered  by  it.  It  may  be  ad- 
mitted that  one  can  not  know  the  future,  and 
that  the  destruction  of  one's  expectations  may 
sometimes  be  like  the  wind — no  one  knowing 
whence  it  cometh — but  to  be  thought  to  have 
deliberately  taken  such  a  course  as  to  invite 
disaster,  even  a  disaster  that  is  overwhelming 
— this  is  to  a  sensitive  soul  well-nigh  unendur- 
able. There  must  be  some  possible  excuse  for 
such  result,  or  the  sun  of  one's  life  will  have 
set  with  no  hope  of  another  day. 

And    now    concerning    the    young    martyr 
missionary  at  Van  what  must  be  the  verdict? 
J80 


WAS    IT    LIFE    THROWN    AWAY?     181 

What  does  the  world  think?  Are  there  many 
who  say  in  their  hearts,  if  not  openly,  "  What 
a  pity  that  one  so  well  fitted  to  live  a  life  of 
great  gratification  to  herself,  and  of  usefulness 
to  others,  should  have  given  all  she  had  to  a 
project,  where  it  might  have  been  seen  that 
failure  would  be  certain  ?  " 

"  Why  should  '  Sweet  Beth,'  as  her  school- 
mates so  fondly  called  her,  who,  with  oppor- 
tunity for  education  and  culture,  had  fitted  her- 
self to  move  in  influential  circles,  to  take  a  place 
in  the  best  society — why  should  she  hide  her- 
self away  among  a  people  who  could  have  but 
scant  appreciation  of  what  she  would  do  for 
them?  Remaining  at  home,  she  would  have 
had  abundant  opportunity  for  usefulness.  Was 
it  necessary  that  she  should  let  the  advantage 
which  her  training  had  given  her,  slip  away 
unused  ? " 

But  did  she  thoughtlessly  throw  away  that 
which  by  years  of  study  and  discipline  she  had 
acquired  ?  Does  not  the  asking  of  such  a  ques- 
tion betray  an  imperfect  conception  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  world  to-day  ?  Does  it  not  imply  a 
disregarding  of  the  fact  that  the  unfortunate 
and  belated  peoples  are  anxiously  asking  for, 
or,  it  may  be,  blindly  groping  towards,  some 
light  that  will  lead  them  to  a  truer  and  a  hap- 


182      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

pier  life  ?  Does  not  the  asking  of  such  a  ques- 
tion reveal  an  overlooking  of  that  preparation 
which  is  necessary  for  one  who  would  labour 
successfully  in  the  foreign  mission  field?  Is 
anywhere  else  the  most  thorough  preparation 
more  imperatively  needed  ? 

But  to  look  at  this  matter  from  another  point 
of  view,  we  may  ask,  What  is  the  true  end  of 
living?  What  should  one  set  before  one's  self 
as  the  goal  to  be  reached  ? 

If  life  ought  to  be  satisfactory  when  each  day 
brings  its  desired  gratifications,  if  that  is 
enough,  then  surely  Beth  Barrows's  life  was 
thrown  away.  If  daily  amusement,  something 
which  will  relieve  one  of  serious  thought  of 
one's  self  or  of  others,  is  the  end  sought,  then 
her  life  was  indeed  thrown  away.  If  expensive 
apparel  and  glittering  jewels,  with  social  func- 
tions for  their  display,  is  the  end  sought,  then 
her  life  was  thrown  away.  If  gratification  in 
self-culture,  the  study  of  literature  and  the  fine 
arts,  with  no  effort  to  impart  to  others  what  is 
acquired,  if  this  is  the  end  of  living,  then  she 
did  throw  her  life  away.  If  pious  exercises, 
like  attending  church,  partaking  of  sacraments, 
meditation  and  repeating  of  prayers,  with  little 
or  no  thought  of  trying  to  save  the  unsaved, — 
if  this  is  the  end  of  Christian  attainment,  then 


WAS    IT    LIFE    THROWN    AWAY?     183 

her  life  of  constant  oiitreaching,  of  self-denying 
effort,  was  thrown  away. 

But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  true  that  she 
caught  something  of  the  spirit  of  the  Christ, 
who,  though  He  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  be- 
came poor,  then  she  began  to  save,  for  the  best 
use,  what  she  had  acquired.  If  she  perceived 
that  the  sinful  peoples  who  have  been  long  grop- 
ing in  their  blindness,  not  only  need  instruction 
but  also  human  sympathy,  which,  in  its  power 
to  save,  is  made  divine,  then  her  resolving  to 
go  to  the  foreign  field  was  not  an  unnatural 
thing  to  do.  She  did  not  thus  throw  her  life 
away.  If  she  was  impressed  with  the  thought 
that  the  little  light  that  one  individual  Chris- 
tian may  shed  is  of  far  greater  use  when  shin- 
ing in  darkness  than  where  there  is  already 
illumination,  it  was  certainly  a  reasonable  pur- 
pose of  hers  to  go,  for  her  life  work,  far  away 
from  her  otnti  Christian  home.  If  she  heard 
the  blessed  Lord's  last  command  to  His  dis- 
ciples, "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature,"  and  knowing  that 
she  herself  was  able  to  go,  said  "  Here,  Lord,  I 
am,  send  me,"  such  act  of  obedience  could  not 
be  characterized  as  erratic  or  unwise. 

In  fine,  if,  in  her  choosing  what  course  to 
take,  what  work  to  do,  the  entering  into  the  pur- 


184      IN  THE  LAND  OF  ARARAT 

pose  of  God  to  convert  the  unfortunate  and  un- 
developed peoples  of  the  world  into  such  as  shall 
at  last  form  part  of  the  innumerable  hosts  of 
the  glorified  humanity  of  the  eternal  ages,  if 
this  could  absorb,  and  hold  unswervingly  to  the 
end,  her  thoughts  all  through  her  days  of  study 
in  school  and  college,  then,  after  years  of  suc- 
cessful service,  often  difficult  but  always  happy, 
the  passing  of  her  life  from  the  little  summer 
cottage  on  the  beautiful  lake  in  the  land  of 
Ararat,  to  the  unseen  realm  of  a  new  existence 
— to  a  broader  vision,  a  higher  service,  and  a 
blessedness  that  shall  have  no  end — can  hardly 
have  been  an  event  concerning  which  one  may 
properly  ask,  Was  all  this  worth  the  while  ? 

It  is  written,  "  Behold  I  make  all  things 
new."  And  so  the  promise,  bright  with  im- 
mortality :  "  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death  and 
I  will  give  thee  the  crown  of  life." 


raiNTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


JAPAN— MISSIONS  AND  POLITICS 

KIYOSHI  K.  KAJVAKAMI  Author  of  " American 

—^—^————^——^—  Japanese  Relations''' 

Asia  at  the  Door 

A  Study  of  the  Japanese  Question  in  Continental 
United  States,  Hawaii,  and  Canada.    Cloth,  net  $1.50. 

"The  most  intelligent  and  trustworthy  estimate  of  Japanese 
influence  and  achievement  in  America  that  has  yet  been  put 
into  print.  It  clears  the  international  atmosphere  of  many 
clouds,  subterfuges,  and  delusiens." — North  American. 

MATTHIAS  KLEIN  Missionary  «f 

•  Free  Methodist  Church 

By  Nippon's  Lotus  Ponds 

Pen  Pictures  of  Real  Japan.   Illustrated.   Net  $1.00. 

"The  author  has  spent  many  years  in  the  land  of  sherry 
blossoms,  so  that  he  has  had  ample  opportunity  to  revise  his 
first  impressions.  He  describes  in  graphic  style,  weddings. 
New  Year's  ceremonies,  funeral  pageants,  pilgrimages  to 
temples  and  tombs  and  many  other  curious  features  of  Jap- 
anese life." — San  Francisco  Chronicle. 

MARGARET  E.  BURTON  Author  of"  Notable  Women 

'  ef  Modem  China'''' 

The  Education  of  Women  in  Japan 

Illustrated,  i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.25. 

"Miss  Burton,  who  in  her  former  books  has  written  in- 
terestingly concerning  the  women  of  China,  n©w  turns  her  at- 
tention to  Japan,  and  presents  a  thorough  treatment  of  the 
question  of  the  education  of  women  in  the  Island  Empire. 
Particularly  does  she  tell  the  story  of  the  large  contribution 
which  missionary  enterprise  has  made  to  edueatien." — Spirit 
of  Missions. 

FRED.    EUGENE  HAGIN  Missionary  of  the  Disciples 

^——————^-^—^-—  Church,  Tokie,  Japan 

The  Cross  in  Japan 

A  Study  in  Achievement  and  Opportunity.  Illus- 
trated, 8vo,  cloth,  net  $1.50. 

"Every  one  interested  in  this  wonderful  little  country  of  the 
Orient  should  read  this  book.  Mr.  Hagin  has  not  simply 
been  a  casual  observer,  but  a  close,  discriminating  student  of 
Japanese  life.  The  whole  book  is  saturated,  filled  with  the  at- 
mosphere of  service  and  Christian  altruism.  One  exceptional 
authority  pronounces  it  the  best  book  on  Japan  ever  pub- 
lished.' ' — Missionary    Tidings. 

JOHN  HYDE  DE  FOREST 

The  Evolution  of  a  Missionary 

A  Biography  of  John  Hyde  De  Forest,  for  thirty- 
seven  years  Missionary  of  the  American  Board,  in 
Japan,  by  Charlotte  B.  De  Forest.  Illustrated,  net 
$1.50. 

"Even  the  most  conservative  critic  will  bless  God  for  so 
Christlike  a  lifeand  so  devoted  a  ministry.  Candidates  and 
young  missionaries  will  find  in  these  pages  a  norm  for  their 
own  imitation  in  those  mtthods  and  activities  which  are 
fundamental  in  missions." — Prof,  Harlan  P.  Beach. 


CONCERNING  FOREIGN  LANDS 

EDIVARD  IFARREN  CAPEN,  Ph.  D. 

Organizing  Secretary  of  the  Hartford  School  of  Missions 

Sociological  Progress  in  Mission  Lands 

8vo,  cloth,  net  $1.50. 

ITie  material  for  this  able  sociological  survey  Dr.  Capen 
gathered  during  a  visitation  of  the  missionary  fields  of  the 
world.  Dr.  James  Dennis  says:  "Dr.  Capen's  grasp  of  a  very 
large  and  complex  subject  is  adequate  and  well  balanced." 

JEREMIAH  ZIMMERMAN,  P.P. 

The  God  Juggernaut  and  Hinduism  in 

India      illustrated,  8vo,  cloth,  net  $1.50. 

"A  careful  study  of  the  religious  rites  and  gods  of  Hindu- 
ism, based  on  his  observations  during  a  5,000  mile  journey  in 
the  East,  Dr.  Zimmerman  writes  entertainingly  and  instruc- 
tively of  the  life  of  these  millions  of  our  fellow  human- 
beings  of  whom  we  have  known  so  little." — Syracuse  Herald. 

REN  A    L.    HOGG       Of  the  American  {United  Presbyterian) 

—— ^^— ^— — —  Mission  in  Egypt. 

A  Master  Builder  on  the  Nile 

Being  the  Record  of  the  Life  and  Labors  of  John 
Hogg,  D.D.     Illustrated,  8vo,  cloth,  net  $1.50. 

Dr.  Samuel  M.  Zwemer  says:  "It  is  bound  to  interest 
people  as  fully  as  the  life  story  of  any  missionary  published 
in   recent  years." 

CARL   LEROr  HOWLANP,    Ph.B. 

Manual  of  Missions 

Introduction  by  Bishop  W.  T.  Hogue,  cloth,  net  75c, 

"An  authoritative  statement  of  just  what  those  interested  in 
world-wide  evangelization  desire  to  know  regarding  the  occu- 
pied and  unoccupied  fields  of  missionary  enterprise.  The 
writer  knows  of  no  other  work  which  presents  so  many  and 
euch  varied  facts  regarding  foreign  missionary  work  within 
so  small  a  compass." — Bishop  Wilson  T.  Hogue. 

J.    J.  MULLOWNEY,    D.D.     and  His  Chinese  Friend 

A  Revelation  of  the  Chinese  Revolution 

i2mo,  cloth,  net  75c. 

An  authentic  and  intimate  record  of  the  Chinese  Revolu- 
tion. The  author's  data,  inspired  by  men  behind  the  scenes, 
shows  how  the  extravagance  and  inefficiency  of  the  Manchus 
brought  about  the  ruin  of  their  dynasty,  and  ushered  in  the 
first  Republic  of  the  E^ast.  There  is,  in  addition,  a  closely- 
written  and  illuminating  review  of  the  social  and  political 
conditions  which  now  obtain  in  the  Flowery  Kingdom. 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


ARTHUR     J.     BROIVN,     D.D.  Author  .r  The  F,r,i[n 

— '"■*"~"~"~^~~~'~~^^~~~— ~~~'~^"~"~  JMissionary    ttc. 

Unity  and  Missions 

Can  a  Divided  Church  Save  the  World?  i2mo, 
cloth,  net  $1.50. 

An  able  treatise,  reflecting-  the  thorouRh  knowledge  and 
broad  catholicity  of  its  author.  Dr.  Brown  writes  of  thin^fs 
he  knows,  and  presents  a  lucidly  written,  often  passionate  ap- 
peal for  unity  in  missionary  endeavor.  There  can  be  little 
doubt  that  this  discussion  will  make  a  valuable  addition  to 
contemporary  missionary   literature. 

JESSE    PAGE 

Judson,  the  Hero  of  Burma 

The  Stirring  Life  Story  of  the  First  Missionary  to 
the  Burmese  told  for  Boys  and  Girls.  Illustrated, 
8vo,  cloth,  net  $1.00. 

_  "In  this  volume  Air.  Page  tells  for  boys  and  girls  the  stir- 
ring life  story  of  the  first  missionary  to  the  Burmese.  Mr. 
Page's  story  is  told  in  a  way  that  will  hold  the  interest  of 
the  reader  to  the  very  end.  There  is  not  a  dull  page  in  th« 
whole  book.  It  stirs  the  imagination  and  moves  the  heart."— 
Life  of  Faith. 

AUCE  M.    PENNELL 

A  Hero  of  the  Afghan  Frontier 

The  Splendid  Life  Storv  of  T.  L-  Pennell,  M.D., 
B.  Sc.  F.  R.  C.  S.  Retold  for  Boys  and  Girls.  Illus- 
trated, 8vo,  cloth,  net  $1.00. 

"Of  the  niany  noble  men  who  have  helped  to  make  the 
name  of  Britain  honored  in  North  Western  India,  Dr.  Pen- 
nell, of  Bannu,  holds  a  foremost  place.  As  a  medical  mi»- 
fionary  among  the  wild  border  tribes,  his  fearless  courage,  his 
sympathy,  his  self-sacrificing  devotion,  gradually  won  their 
hearts." — Educational   News. 

REV.    W.   PA  KEN  HAM   WALSH 

Early  Heroes  of  the  Mission  Field 

New  Edition.    With  Frontispiece.     Cloth,  net  50c. 

"Dr.  Walsh  has  not  only  carefully  studied  the  records  of 
Christian  life  preserved  by  the  best  Church  historians,  but  he 
has  also  reproduced  in  a  form  at  once  reliable,  instructive, 
and  interesting,  the  diverse  conditions  and  heroic  endeavors 
for  the  furtherance  of  the  kingdom  of  God  that  characterized 
different  eras." — Christian. 

REF.  JV.  PAKENHAM  WALSH 

Modern  Heroes  of  the  Mission  Field 

New  Edition.    With  Frontispiece.     Cloth,  net  500. 

Continuing  his  sketches  of  Missionary  Heroes,  the  author 
has  cho«en  typical  as  well  as  representative  pioneers  of  the 
nineteenth  century  such  as:  Henry  ATnrtyn,  William  Carey, 
Adoniram  Judson,  Robert  Morrison,  Samuel  Marsden,  John 
Williams,  William  Johnson,  John  Hunt,  Allen  Gardiner,  Alex- 
ander Duff,  David  Livingstone,  Bishop  Patteson. 


QUESTIONS  OF  THE  DAY 


FREDERICK   W.    PEA  BODY 

The  Religio-Medical  Masquerade 

New  Edition.    i2mo,  cloth,  net  $i.oo. 

Ten  years  of  critical  investigation  of  Christian  Science,  re- 
peatedly with  the  aid  of  legal  process  in  important  litigations 
in  which  Mrs.  Eddy  was  a  party  and  he  examined  under  oath 
many  of  her  closest  adherents,  have  qualified  Mr.  Peabody, 
above  all  others,  to  give  a  truthful  representation  of  the  char- 
acter  of  the  movement  and  its  leaders.  He  was  the  Massa- 
chusetts lawyer  for  Mrs.  Eddy's  sons  in  their  protracted  liti- 
gation. 

/.  M.   HALDEMAN,   D.D. 

Christian  Science  in  the  Light  of  Holy 
Scripture 

New  Revised  Edition.    i2mo,  cloth,  net  $i.oo. 

"Dr.  Haldeman  brings  every  question  he  considers  to  tht 
bar  of  that  highest  tribunal,  and  tests  it  in  the  full  light  oi 
the  divine  revelation.  All  the  resources  of  his  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  the  Bible  and  of  his  powers  of  keen  insight  and  ef- 
fective presentation  are  drawn  upon.  He  has  so  well  suc- 
ceeded that  we  do  not  see  what  more  can  be  said.  The  proof 
is  absolute;   it  is  clearly  stated;    it  is  exhaustive." — Examiner. 

J.    A.    PHILLIPS  Missionary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 

•  Church  South  in  Mexicr 

Roman  Catholicism  Analyzed 

A  Dispassionate  Examination  of  Romish  Claims. 
With  Foreword  by  Bishop  Burt.    8vo,  net  $1.50. 

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of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  The  argurnents  are  clear 
and  conclusive.  Tlie  logic  is  masterful,  incisive,  merciless 
and  based  upon  undisputed  facts-  The  style  is  clear,  lucid 
and  fascinating.  It  is  an  arsenal  of  anti-Catholic  facts."— 
Lookout. 

WILLIAM    PARKER 

The  Fundamental  Error  of  Woman 
Suffrage 

i2mo,  cloth,  net  50c. 

Most  of  the  arguments  advanced  against  Woman  Sufifrage 
a-re  purely  economic.  The  author  of  this  volume  adopts  an- 
lother  course,  declaring  the  fundamental  error  to  lie  in  the 
realm  of  morals.  From  this  viewpoint  he  discusses  his  subject 
in  its  moral  relation  to  the  chief  phases  of  modern  life — roar- 
riage^  home,  religion,  social  intercourse,  civic  and  political 
activities,  and  so  forth. 

IV.  HALL  CALVERT,  M.D. 

The  Further  Evolution  of  Man 

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A  vigorous  counterblast  to  the  Darwinian  theories  of  Nntr 
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tive aim  of  the  volume  is  to  prove  that  social  amelioration  is 
a  necessAty  of  the  spiritual  evolution  now  in  process  in  ouf 
Western  civilization. 


PROBLEMS  OF  WAR  AND  PEACE,  Etc. 

"  ■"■■.-  *^ 

FREDERICK    LYNCH,     P.P.  S.cr„ar,  church  P.ac,  Uni,n 

The  Last  War 

A  Study  of  Things  Present  and  Things  to  Come. 
l2mo,  cloth,  net  75c. 

"A  passionate  and  intelligent  plea  for  world  peace.  It  is 
sane,  thoughtful,  well  balanced  and  convincing.  Shows  that 
the  Christian  churches  have  a  duty  to  perform  at  this  crisis 
in  the  world's  history." — Watchman-Examiner. 

PETER  AINSLIE,  P.P. 

Christ  or  Napoleon— Which  ? 

A  Study  of  the  Cure  for  World's  Militarism  and 
the  Church's  Scandal  of  Division.    i2mo,  cloth,  net  50c. 

"A  searching  and  powerful  answer  to  this  question.  It 
ghows  how  that  divided  Christianity  is  a  failure  and  how  even 
the  church  itself  is  penetrated  by  the  roots  of  this  military 
spirit.  Mr.  Ainslie  is  always  a  pleasing  and  interesting 
writer  and  he  has  fully  met  every  expectation  in  this  book. 
It  will  do  you  good  to  read  his  splendid  message." — Louisville 
Herald. 

SIDNEY  L.  GULICfC,   P.P. 

The  Fight  for  Peace 

i2mo,  paper,  net  30c;    cloth,  net  50c. 

"A  valuable  and  comprehensive  text-book  on  the  subject  of 
securing  world  peace  by  means  of  the  advocacy  of  Christian 
principles  by  the  churches.  Many  facts  are  given.  Correct 
principles  are  stated.  Earnest  appeals  are  made.  A  well- 
written  little  volume." — Herald  and  Presbyter. 

NEWELL  P WIGHT  HILLIS,  P.P. 

Studies  of  the  Great  War 

What  Each  Nation  Has  at  Stake.    Cloth,  $1.20  net. 

"Dr.  Hillis'  volume  will  rank  at  once  with  the  best  of 
those  already  available  from  his  t)en.  He  would  not  have 
Germany  crushed;  he  would  have  it  simply  restrained  to  its 
proper  field  of  development.  So  with  the  other  nations.  It 
would  be  hard  to  find  a  more  complete  summation  of  the 
facts  of  the  history,  progress  and  present  position  of  all  the 
nations  involved  than  in  this  volume." — The  Continent. 

PROF.  FRANKLIN  HENRY  GIP PINGS 

The  Western  Hemisphere  in  the 
World  of  To-morrow 

l2mo,  boards,  net  3Sc. 

The  professor  of  Sociology  and  History  of  Civilization  in 
Columbia  University,  addresses  himself  to  the  problern  of  t'^i."; 
future  as  it  specifically  relates  to  America.  He  examines  ht  r 
traditions,  heritage,  ideals  and  program,  and  proceeds  to  out- 
line her  possible  place  and  influence  in  the  reconstructed  worlJ 
of  to-morrow. 


PROBLEMS  OF  WAR  AND  PEACE,  Etc. 
I  

ANUA  FITZ  GERALD  VAN  LOAN 

The  Power  to  Right  Our  Wrongs 

Evidence  from  Facts  that  Christian  Principles  are 
Best  Aiding  Humanity.     i2mo,  cloth,  net  $i.oo. 

"This  book  demonstrates,  from  carefully  taken  premises, 
that  the  principles  which  now  control  and  maintain  peace 
in  civic  and  national  affairs  could,  and  should,  be  applied  to 
avert  international  conflict,  thereby  furnishing  a  practical 
method  of  ushering  in  an  era  of  world-wide  peace.' 

GAIUS  GLENN  ATKINS,   D.D. 


The  Maze  of  the  Nations  and  the  Way  Out 

The  Prize  Essay  in  the  One  Thousand  Dollar 
competition  promoted  by  the  Carnegie  Church  Peace 
Union.     i2mo,  cloth,  net  75c. 

Dr.  Atkins'  main  contention  is  that  the  only  way  to  insure 
a  lasting  peace  among  the  nations  of  the  earth,  is  by  eliminat- 
ing the  causes  of  war.  A  thoughtful,  ably-written  essay,  con- 
taining suggestions  for  the  pacification  of  the  world,  of  real 
and   practical    value. 

THOMAS  CAPEK  (Editor) 

Bohemia  Under  Hapsburg  Misrule 

A  Study  of  the  Ideals  and  Aspirations  of  the  Bo- 
hemian and  Slovak  Peoples  as  Related  to  and  Af- 
fected by  the  European  War.    i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.00. 

"The  whole  forms  a  fairly  complete  survey  of  the  character, 
achievements,  and  aspirations  of  Bohemians,  past  and  pres- 
ent."— A'^,   y.  Times. 

HENRY  D.  ESTABROOK 

The  Vengeance  of  the  Flag 

And  Other  Occasional  Addresses.    8vo,  net  $2.00. 

"This  man  Estabrook — he  is  a  surpriser.  Takes  a  man'i 
breath  away  to  read  his  speeches.  A  man  can't  let  go  when 
he  has  once  laid  hold.  It's  like  grasping  the  poles  of  a  bat- 
tery."— Omaha  Mercury. 

COMPARATIVE  RELIGIONS 

SAMUEL  G.  IFILSON,  A.M.,  D.D. 

Bahaism  and  Its  Claims 

A  Study  of  the  Religions  Promulgated  by  Baha 
Ullah  and  Abdul  Baha.    8vo,  cloth,  net  $1.50. 

Bahaism  is  a  revolt  from  the  fold  of  Islam  which  in  recent 
years  has  been  bidding  vigorously  for  the  support  of  Occidental 
minds.  Many  of  its  principles  are  culled  from  the  Christian 
religion  which  it  insidiously  seeks  to  supplant.  What  this 
Oriental  cult  is,  what  it  stands  for,  and  what  it  aims  at,  is  told 
m  a  volume  which  forms  a  notable  addition  to  the  History  of 
Comparative  Religions. 


MUBRARY<: 


University  of  California  Library 
Los  Angeles 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


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